Generator Rex: Mystery on the Farm
by YellowAngela
Summary: Someone order a mystery? What happens when Rex takes his reluctant brother, Circe, and Beverly down to the family farm in Argentina? When they find a body buried under the house, they become embroiled in something sinister. What exactly is everyone hiding? Will they discover it before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Someone said there was a lack of mysteries on this site. I feel like that's a challenge. So I'm going to try my hand at writing one. As a kid I loved reading mysteries… everything from Encyclopedia Brown (Does anyone even know what an encyclopedia is anyway?) to Nancy Drew to Sherlock Holmes. I read voraciously. I even tried to write my own but could never finish one. Here's hoping this one is as good as the ones I use to read. Also I've tried to incorporate Beverly and Caesar's developing relationship as per request from KakaAnko.**

**I'm also posting today because it's a very special day. Any guesses;)**

**I do not own the show.**

"So you wouldn't put a bathroom in your research pod for me when we went down to Mexico but the second you find out Beverly is coming you install one?" Rex complained.

"I didn't want to go to Argentina," Caesar retorted, "But you somehow got Beverly to gang up on me to get me to go."

Rex grinned. "I didn't get her to gang up on you. I wanted to show Circe the family farm and Beverly happened to want to tag along. I wanted you to come because, you know, don't you want to see what you inherited?"

"No, I don't. Been there, done that. Why didn't you get Noah to go? " Caesar asked.

"He's all busy with school, preparing for the AP exams." Rex shrugged.

"Hmph," Caesar grunted.

"Oh, like you don't want to spend some alone time with Beverly." Rex teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caesar said loftily. "I spend enough alone time with her in the lab." When he realized how that sounded he blushed. "I mean we spend enough time working together."

"That's just the problem. You're working; don't you want to get to know her better in a non-working environment?" Rex raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I do that?" Caesar asked.

"To see if you like each other." Rex said exasperated.

"Rex, I'm much too busy for things like that. Besides I'm sure Beverly would not be interested in someone like me." Caesar muttered.

"Well she won't with that attitude. If Beverly isn't your type who is? "Rex glanced at his brother realizing he didn't really know much about this aspect of his life.

"Rex since when are you interested in my personal life? How about you and Circe? How serious are you guys?" Caesar said trying to deflect the question.

"Well we've decided to take it slow. Circe says she has some issues she needs to work through and I'm still worried about losing my memory." Rex sighed.

"Well, not likely but that is a possibility. Your nanites are still unpredictable." Caesar confirmed.

"Yeah thanks." Rex rolled his eyes. He continued. "But now would be a good chance for us to get to know each other as brothers too, you know. I found some old tapes of us on the farm I wanted to show you."

"Sure Rex." Caesar tried to sound excited. But Caesar was feeling anything but happy. He was nervous about the trip and it wasn't because of spending time with Rex or Beverly.

0o0

"Can I borrow your hair dryer?" Beverly asked Circe.

"Sure, why? Didn't you bring your own?" Circe looked at her.

Circe and Beverly sat in the newly added lounge area that Caesar had installed when he found out that the girls would be joining them. It had a leather couch that was nailed to the floor so that it was stationary as well as an immovable table.

"Well, Caesar did something to it and I can't really use it anymore." Beverly sighed.

"What did he do?" Circe asked.

"Well, I was complaining that it was such a pain to carry a converter for my hair dryer so he made a battery powered one."

"That's nice."

"Yes, except it's so powerful you can barely hold the thing."

Circe laughed.

"It's like trying to use a leaf blower to dry your hair. So unless I want to look like I've been in a hurricane I'd like to borrow yours."

"Why didn't you ask Caesar to fix it?

"I didn't have the heart to tell him. He was so proud of the stupid thing."

"Sounds like you're an old married couple already."

"Shut up." Beverly said good-naturedly.

So what's up with you and Caesar anyway? Circe asked Beverly pointedly.

"What?" Beverly asked startled. "Nothing's up."

"Yeah? Rex said that he installed the lounge and bathroom when he found out you were coming." She said teasingly.

"Well, I think that it was just as much for you as me." Beverly said but blushed nonetheless.

"I think he likes you." Circe smiled enjoying the other girl's discomfort.

"Caesar likes everyone." Beverly mumbled finding great interest in a spot on the table.

Circe laughed. "How can you tell? Half the time his nose is either buried in his computer or his inventions. Sometimes when you talk to him he zones out or he'll answer with something that totally doesn't make any sense." She looked at Beverly and decided to have mercy on her.

"Have you ever been to Argentina?" She asked changing the subject.

"No, but I've always wanted to travel to other places." Beverly replied happy to talk about something else.

"Me too." Circe said wistfully.

"What are you talking about? I heard you've been to New York, Hong Kong, and Cabo."

"Well, those were… business trips. Maybe Hong Kong was sort of a fun stay but I want to go somewhere and not worry about having to complete some sort of mission."

"I've never been out of the States. Even then, I can count the number of places in the States I've been to on one hand." Beverly complained.

"It's understandable. You weren't able to travel." Circe said delicately not wanting to bring up any painful memories for Beverly.

"Yeah, being an EVO limits you to where you can go." Beverly said lightly.

"Tell me about it." Circe smirked.

Beverly laughed. "I guess we have that in common."

Circe smiled. It was nice just having a chat with another girl her age. When she was in Hong Kong with Cricket they had some girl time. But then she and Tuck had become closer and Circe felt like a third wheel. She was never really able to talk to Breach. She was too disjointed and creepy to have a normal conversation with. Beverly was the first person she had time to spend and talk with. It was a nice comfortable feeling. Beverly was so easy to be with. She allowed you to talk as much as you want or to be silent. Circe never had a real friend who was a girl before. It was nice.

Beverly liked Circe. It was nice to talk to someone and not have to hide her past as an EVO. Beverly had missed out on three years of her life and she was trying to adjust to that. Circe allowed her to be herself but wouldn't let her wallow in self-pity. She also had a dry sense of humor and was able to make her laugh… all admirable qualities in Beverly's book.

The settled into an amicable silence as the pod headed toward their destination.

0o0

Around early evening they arrived at the farm. The sun was just starting to dip over the horizon. Caesar landed the ship on the edge of the farm, a short walk to the house. As they got out of the research pod, they were met by Judge Muchado.

"Hola, mis amigos, bienvenidos. We have been looking forward to your visit. " He greeted them. Rex eyed a long table set out in front of the house with food. His stomach growled.

Muchado laughed. "I see you are hungry. Come let's get some food into you." He started walking. Then as an after thought he added. "Don't worry. Manuel will get your suitcases. Just leave them by your ship."

"Gracias." Rex said. "By the way, this is my brother Caesar Salazar, co-inheritor of the farm." Rex introduced his brother.

"I'm so glad to meet you." The judge took Caesar's reluctant hand.

"Likewise." Caesar mumbled as he walked to the table.

"These are our friends Circe and Beverly." Rex continued with the introductions.

The girls happily shook hands with the judge.

"Where is Senor Noah and Senorita Claire and Annie?" He asked.

"They couldn't come but they told me to say hi." Rex answered looking nervously at Circe to see if she was annoyed at the mention of Annie.

But Circe was absorbed with looking around to notice the conversation.

"So everything quiet around here?" Rex asked Muchado.

"Si, ever since you vanquished the brothers, life has gotten back to normal. Then after the world wide cure… well… everyone here is grateful for what you have done."

"So how's the tenants working out?" Rex was referring to the people who took over the upkeep of the farm while he was not there. Before Rex left he had asked Muchado to find people to work the farm… people who were displaced by Durango and Chiquito. Rex allowed the people to keep whatever profits they earned from the farm. All he wanted was to be able to come down once in a while to visit. Muchado was surprised at the generous conditions and had no problems finding reputable people to run the farm.

"They have been doing well. They had a great harvest this year and are waiting for the second one. Here we are. Please have a seat and help yourself."

Just as they sat down to eat, some women came out with more food.

The judge introduced them. This is Maria, Juanita, and Sofia." They have been working on the farm along with their husbands."

"Thank you so much for letting us live here." Juanita said humbly. "After Chiquito and Durango destroyed our homes we had no place to go."

"No prob." Rex said magnanimously. "Glad to have someone, who loves the land, take care of the old place."

"There's so much food. We couldn't possibly eat all of it. Won't you join us?" Beverly asked politely.

"Gracias, thank you, but no. We have work to do. Besides we don't eat till much later." Maria declined politely. The women headed back inside.

The little group ate and talked with the judge, finding out about the people who lived there and about what daily life looked like.

"Manuel is married to Maria. They have two lovely children. Jose is married to Juanita. Their children are away at the universities. Sebastian is married to Sofia. They do not have children as of yet." Muchado told them.

"What do they do?" Rex asked curious.

"The men wake up early every morning to take care of the crops. The women take care of the animals and the general running of the household. They are very efficient."

"Does the farm still have the bull?" Rex asked with a smirk.

"Yes, it does. And I'm sure it misses your backside." Muchado said with a twinkle in his eye.

The girls looked at each other and wondered about it. Caesar seemed lost in thought. He was not paying much attention to the conversation at all. Not that it mattered. He was generally not talkative.

After eating and talking with their host, they decided to turn in early for the night. Traveling, even in comfortable quarters was exhausting. Rex excitedly told them the plans for the next day.

"I'm going to take you to the shed where I found the old tapes mami and papi made of us." He told Caesar excitedly as they walked to their rooms.

Caesar's mind seemed far away.

"Caesar?" Rex prompted.

"Oh nothing. Being here does bring back memories." He mused.

"Really, you have to tell me about them. Maybe I'll remember something." Rex said.

"Maybe." Caesar smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Buenos noches, Rex."

"Buenos noches." Rex replied before going into his room.

0o0

"Why does Caesar and Rex get their own room?" Circe complained as she crawled into the top bunk in a small rustic room.

"I don't mind. It'll be like a sleep over." Beverly said from the bottom bunk.

"Always looking on the bright side." Circe laughed. Then she sobered a little. "Hey, I didn't mean that I don't like sharing a room with you…"

"It's okay. It does seem a little unfair that we don't get our own rooms." Beverly said.

"It's nice to see Rex happy though. Well, good night." Circe yawned.

"Good night." Beverly said quietly. She reached over and turned off the light. She could hear Circe's even breathing which meant she fell asleep immediately.

Beverly envied her. Sleep was elusive the past few weeks. Mainly thoughts about Caesar kept her up. How did he feel about her? How did she feel about him? She kept wavering back and forth. Some days he made her heart beat faster and her face seemed to have a continuous blush. Then some days she wanted to hit him over the head with a wrench. He could be so infuriating!

Beverly sighed and tried to turn her restless thoughts to other things. She couldn't wait to explore the place. She noticed the chickens in the yard as they went into the house plus she definitely wanted to hear the story about Rex and the bull. She smiled. Rex and Caesar were so different yet in some ways so much alike. Finally sleep overtook her as she thought about the brothers' similarities and differences.

After only a short time asleep, Beverly awoke to thumping noises. As she laid still in the dark, the noises stopped. Beverly strained her ears to see if she could make out anything else. When nothing happened she started drifting back to sleep, chalking it up to a branch hitting against the house or perhaps it was some animal. Then as she was on the verge of falling back to sleep, the thumping started again.

"Circe? Circe are you awake?" Beverly whispered.

A slight snore answered her. Beverly debated whether she should wake her friend up. No, if it was nothing she would feel stupid for waking her up. Beverly slipped on her shoes and decided to see if she could discover where the annoying sounds were coming from. She opened the door and walked down the hallway. The moonlight coming through the windows provided ample light to guide her but she suddenly wished she had thought to bring her flashlight. The shadows around her made her nervous as her mind started conjuring up all sorts of creepy images. The atmosphere was dark and foreboding. Beverly wasn't sure if it was just her over-active imagination or if there was something she should be worried about. In her ruminations she failed to notice that the thumping had stopped again. Now she felt stupid standing in the middle of the living room in her night gown and shoes in the dark. She glanced over and noticed a mirror hanging decoratively on the wall. She saw her reflection and thought ironically to herself that she looked like a wandering ghost. She chuckled at that thought. She glanced one more time at the mirror and froze. The mirror reflected her and the window in back of her. She gasped as she saw a grotesque face appear in the corner pane of the window!

**Well, what do you think? I'd like this story to lead up to my Gen Rex Made-up Season 5 which I'll start writing in the summer when I have more time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Still don't own the show.**

Beverly spun around so fast she lost her balance and tripped on her own two feet. From the floor she glanced over to the window but the face was gone.

"What the…?" She muttered. She was no longer frightened but angry at her clumsiness.

She quickly got up and ran to the window. Peering through the darkness she saw nothing.

"Shoot." She ran to the front door and was about to go out when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She gave a yelp and swung her fist.

"Woah, hang on." Caesar said as her fist came within inches of his face.

Beverly blinked a second. Before relaxing her hand and letting it drop. "You startled me."

"Where are you going in your night gown?" Caesar asked calmly.

Beverly blushed when she realized that what she was wearing was relatively thin and a little revealing. She hoped the darkness of the room would hide it. "I…I heard noises and got up to investigate. I saw a face in the window…." She managed to stammer out.

"A face?" Caesar frowned. He pulled open the front door and stepped out. Beverly followed him out. She pulled him around the house to the window facing the mirror.

"I saw the face in the corner of the window here." Beverly pointed.

Caesar walked over and examined the ground. "The dirt around the area has been disturbed but I can't make out any footprints. It could have been an animal."

"I guess." Beverly said uncertainly. She shivered. She realized that it was a bit chilly out in the open.

Caesar noticed and wrapped his arm around her. "You're getting cold. Let's go in." The heat from his body warmed her and she snuggled closer. Caesar was surprised at how well she fit against him and how nice it felt to hold her. Then she looked up at him. He felt his pulse quicken. Their eyes locked and Beverly's breath caught in her throat. Caesar's head seemed to dip closer to her face. As his face came closer Beverly's eyes started to close.

'Hey, what are you guys doing out here?" Rex demanded. Caesar practically pushed Beverly away.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Caesar's voice sounded higher than normal.

Beverly, annoyed at being shoved, said, "I thought I saw something out here and we came out to investigate." She glared at Caesar's back.

Caesar could feel Beverly's anger radiate from her. He cursed himself. What was wrong with him? He hadn't meant to shove her away from him. But Rex had startled him and he didn't want his little brother thinking that he was doing anything improper especially after the whole talk on the research pod.

"Really? Let me see." Rex fortunately did not seem to notice anything. He walked over to the window and bent over to look at the ground. "Everything looks normal. Maybe you're just seeing things."

Beverly was already annoyed. This only made her even angrier. "I was not seeing things!"She snapped. "And if you don't believe me, you can both go… back to bed." She stomped off unwilling to use profanity.

"Wow bro. You really made her mad." Rex watched the girl stomp off.

"Me? You're the one who said she was delusional." Caesar started walking back to the house once he was sure he had given Beverly enough distance.

"I didn't say she was delusional. I just said maybe she's mistaken in seeing the face in the window." Rex protested as he followed his brother.

"Well, maybe you should have said that. At least I said that there was a possibility that she might have seen something."

"See you don't believe her either."

"I didn't say that. I just said that there's a possibility she saw something." Caesar didn't know why he bothered defending himself. What did it matter what Beverly thought of him?

"Whatever, bro. Going back to bed." Rex yawned.

The brothers entered the house and went into their rooms.

0o0

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. When Beverly awoke she was still annoyed but more understanding. She had gotten up early, used the bathroom (and Circe's hair dryer), and was currently sitting in the kitchen with a glass of orange juice thinking about last night. Yeah, if someone had told her that there was thumping sounds and a weird face in the window that suddenly disappeared she might think they were odd too. But she didn't want Caesar thinking she was crazy or that she saw things. Then again why does that matter? She frowned into her juice.

"Hey, morning. What's up? You don't look so happy this morning." Circe noted as she poured herself a glass of orange juice as well. She pulled out a chair and sat down next to her friend.

"Didn't sleep well last night." She admitted. She paused unsure of what to say next but decided to tell Circe. She leaned closer and said in a soft tone. "I heard noises last night and when I went to check it out, I saw a face in the window."

"Really?" Circe eyes widened. "What did you do?"

"Caesar and I went outside to see if we could find out who it was…" Beverly continued.

"Wait, wait… Caesar?" Circe looked incredulously at her.

"Oh, yeah he woke up and came out with me." She blushed remembering the almost kiss.

"Uh-huh." The blush did not go unnoticed. "So did you find anything?"

"No! And now they think I'm seeing things!" Beverly growled.

"They?" Circe asked confused.

"Oh, Rex came out later…." Beverly didn't want to think about that either.

"Hmm. You want to show me where you saw the face?" Circe asked.

"Why so you can find nothing either?" Beverly asked glumly.

"No silly. We can look for clues. You know things in the night time look different in the day time."

Beverly looked at the siren. "You believe me?"

Circe shrugged. "Well, as far as I know you're not prone to seeing things so let's check it out."

Beverly smiled. It's nice to have a friend.

0o0

Circe and Beverly looked around the window.

"See anything? Circe asked.

"No, Caesar said it looked like the dirt was disturbed but I honestly can't tell." Beverly's shoulder's sagged. "Maybe I did imagine it."

"Nonsense. You quit too easily. "Circe sniffed as she drew closer to the window. "Hey, look at this."

"What?" Beverly asked getting excited.

"Looks like a piece of fabric snagged on the splinter here." Circe pointed at a tiny scrap of color on the window frame.

"Well, that could be from yesterday or two weeks ago." Beverly said sadly.

"It's an unusual color." Circe said ignoring Beverly's pessimism. "And looky here. It's a piece of hair."

"Again it doesn't prove anyone was here."

"But it proves there could have been someone here."

Beverly was unsure. She was about to say something when a man they haven't seen before greeted them.

"Buenos días señoritas." He walked up to them. "¿Necesita ayuda?"

Beverly had picked up enough Spanish from Rebecca to sort of understand the man but she didn't know enough to answer back. "No we're fine. Just checking something out."

"Sorry, I forget sometimes." The man apologized in English.

"Oh no, sorry that we don't know your language as well as you know ours." Beverly said slightly embarrassed.

The man laughed. "It is okay. But you understand a little."

"Un poquito." Beverly admitted.

"Ah, so you can learn and making an effort is good enough for me." The man smiled. "You are friends of Señor Rex." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes, I'm Circe and this is Beverly." Circe stepped up and stuck out her hand. "I was wondering if you can tell me if anyone was out here last night?"

The man seemed taken back by Circe's forwardness.

Beverly stepped in. "I'm sorry. Let's do introductions first. What's your name?" She shot Circe a look. Circe gave a imperceptible shrug.

The man relaxed. "I'm Manuel." He replied.

"Oh you brought in our luggage last night. Gracias." Beverly said kindly.

"De nada. As for anyone here last night, there shouldn't have been anyone out. Why do you ask?"

"I heard noises outside last night and thought I saw a face in the window." Beverly told him.

Manuel looked startled. "Madre de Dios," he muttered under his breath. "No, there was no noise last night and sometimes the shadows plays trick with your eyes. Perdóneme, I have much to do." Then he turned immediately and almost ran away from them.

The surprised girls watched as the man sprinted away.

"Well, that was weird." Circe muttered.

"Yeah, it was." Beverly agreed as she watched him disappear around the house. "Now what?"

"I think we need to see if anyone else heard the noises last night." Circe stated.

"Okay, but let me do the talking. We don't want to offend anyone." Beverly said.

"Hey, are you saying I'm offensive?" Circe asked with annoyance in her voice.

"No but you can be a little… aggressive. Remember we are guests here and we don't want to embarrass Rex." Beverly said diplomatically.

"Yeah, okay." Circe conceded. "I can be a little _forceful_. Can't help it though. It's what helped me survive."

"I know and I'm glad you did survive. But that particular skill won't help us right now." Beverly replied.

"Why not? I can be bad cop and you could be good cop." Circe's eyes lit up mischievously. "It works in all the TV shows."

Beverly laughed. "Maybe but let's try the kinder, gentler approach first."

Circe shrugged. "Your show. Lead the way Sherlock."

Beverly laughed again. "Does that make you Watson?"

"Oh heck no. If anything I want to be Nora Charles." Circe scoffed.

"Who?" Beverly looked confused.

"She's an heiress married to Nick Charles, a retired Pinkerton detective in the Dashiell Hammett novels." Circe said.

Beverly still looked confused.

"_The Thin Man."_Circe prompted.

A light went on. "Oh, you mean from that old movie we watched the other night?" Beverly thought about it. "Not a bad choice but I always pegged you as an Emma Peel."

"Ohh, I like that one even better." Circe smirked. "If they don't answer, can I karate chop them?"

Beverly smiled. "We'll see."

The girls giggled as they went back into the house.

**Sorry if this is a little slow. Trying to build relationships and establish the plot. Hope you will stick with me.**

**Buenos días señoritas: Good Morning, young ladies.**

**¿Necesita ayuda?: Do you need any help?**

**Un poquito: Very little**

**Gracias: Thank you**

**De Nada: You're welcome.**

**Madre de Dios: Mother of God (used as an oath)**

**Perdóneme: Pardon me**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the reviews. I appreciate them. **

**Rainbow Colours: Yeah, mysteries rock! Hope you like this one.**

**Zero: This fanfic site makes me finish my stories because I know people are reading and following so I'm forced to continue even when motivation lags. Thank you for the feedback because it helps me know what people think. **

**Guest: I hope I don't disappoint. Sometimes I feel like I start well but finish lamely. **

**I don't own GenRex.**

When Circe and Beverly walked into the kitchen they saw Rex and Caesar seated at the table eating breakfast.

"Morning, guys. Where were you?" Rex asked mouth full of eggs.

"Eww, Rex, swallow before you talk." Circe wrinkled her nose at him.

"Sorry, _mom_." Rex said with a grin.

Circe stuck her tongue out before going over to the stove to help herself to some eggs.

"Who made these?" She asked smelling the delectable aroma.

"Caesar," Rex said mouth full again.

Both girls shot a look at Caesar.

"Don't look so surprise. Caesar's a great cook." Rex bragged. Caesar shrugged as he opened the paper and began perusing the headlines.

"Wow, a doctor and a cook. You'll be quite a catch." Circe teased. She glanced over to Beverly who started to turn red. A slight cough came from behind the paper. Beverly opened the fridge to hide the red spreading across her cheeks.

"So what are we doing today?" She asked casually, pretending to look for something to eat.

Rex put down his fork, his eyes sparkling. "I can't wait to show you the tapes I found in the cellar under the shed."

"Hmmm…wait? Cellar under the shed?" Caesar put the paper down.

"Yeah, I've like told you this like a million times." Rex rolled his eyes.

"No, you kept saying shed. You never said anything about a cellar." Caesar looked at his brother. "And it's not a cellar; it's mami and papi's lab. There could be parts I could use. And maybe I can find some of their notes…." Caesar was actually getting excited for the first time. He put the paper to the side and got up. He pulled Rex up by the arm and began dragging him out.

"Hey, wait! What about breakfast?" Rex asked.

"You're already on thirds." Caesar told him. "Besides, lunch will be in three hours."

"I'm a growing boy." Rex protested as he reached to grab some bacon for the road. "Three hours is a long way off."

"You're supposed to grow vertically, not horizontally. Now come on. Where's the lab?" Caesar had both his hands on Rex's shoulders and was wheeling him out.

Circe and Beverly looked at each other and shrugged. They followed the brothers out.

0o0

"That's a thermal transponder. I've been looking for one for weeks. They're back ordered. And here's an electromagnetic generator. I can't believe it! An atomic battery. I used the last one for Beverly's hairdryer." Caesar was rummaging through the items in the lab.

Rex tapped his foot impatiently. "Caesar, are you going to watch the video or not?"

"Hmm? What Rex? Oh look papi's notes on nanite propagation." Caesar almost squealed.

"Wow, never seen him so excited before." Circe mumbled.

Beverly was trying hard not to grin. She had seen Caesar like this several times before especially after a struggling with a difficult quandary. She thought it was… endearing. It at least made him more human. Suddenly, he turned to face Beverly. He grabbed her arms and smiled broadly.

"I think we can finally get that electrocapacitor working." Caesar was referring to his latest project.

Beverly was equally excited. "Then we can use that to power the hypermagnetictransducer."

"Exactly!" Caesar and Beverly looked at each other beaming.

Rex cleared his throat. "Should we leave you two alone?"

Caesar immediately let go of Beverly and started gathering bits and pieces into a carton. Beverly turned away trying to stop her face from getting red.

"Beverly would you mind bringing this box back to the research pod? I need to look around to see if there's anything else I can use." Caesar asked without looking at her.

"Sure." Beverly said glad a reason to leave.

Circe was having a hard time suppressing a laugh. It was obvious that there was something between them but both were loathed to admit it.

"You want some help?" Circe asked.

"No, no. I'll be right back. We still need to watch those home movies." Beverly was already walking up the stairs.

"Yeah, I want to see Rex as a cute little kid." Circe snickered.

"Hey, I wasn't just a cute little kid… I was _devastatingly_ _adorable_!" Rex declared.

Circe rolled her eyes and Beverly giggled. Even Caesar's mouth upturned slightly.

"You're so modest Rex." Circe shook her head.

"Just calling it how I see them." Rex grinned.

Beverly could still hear Circe and Rex bantering when she got out of the cellar.

She wondered if she and Caesar could ever have that kind of easy back and forth. Probably not. Beverly sadly sighed. After putting the box down in Caesar's lab she walked down the ramp.

Suddenly she stopped. Right around the house was the face she saw in the window last night. In the open, she could now see that the poor thing was misshapen and deformed. One leg was higher than another. His back was twisted and his face looked like someone had pushed his cheekbones into his head. He had a poncho the exact same color as the piece of fabric caught on the splinter. Beverly stood rooted to the spot, unsure as to what to do. When the person noticed Beverly, he jumped excitedly and beckoned her to follow him. Against her better judgment, Beverly ran after the dwarf. As she neared his spot he bolted.

"No, wait!" Beverly panted, calves aching from the mad dash. She saw him turn the corner. She followed until she came to a rundown part of the hacienda. The little man had disappeared.

"Where are you?" Beverly asked frustrated. She walked around looking for the person but not looking where she was going. As she stepped backwards she fell over and landed on her posterior. "Ouch!" She rubbed her sore tailbone. Then as she looked to see what she had tripped over, she couldn't stop a scream from coming out of her mouth.

It was a decaying arm.

**You know I realized in my last fanfic, **_**What if,**_** I never properly thanked the people who read and I'm not sure if they are reading this. But if you are thank you HiddenHero220, Baldore, motherafrica, KakaAnko, SDF, generatorlaiba, and of course you Rainbow Colours. I appreciate you taking the time out to write a review. I know it's a pain sometimes.**

**Also don't read too much into the equipment Caesar is picking up. I seriously just strung a few big words together.**


	4. Chapter 4

**fanaticagenrex: Gracias por sus comentarios. Estoy feliz de que te gusta la historia.**

**GeneratorRexIsAwesome: I'm glad you like it. I'll try to finish it in a timely manner. Thank you for your reviews to my other stories too.**

**I do not own anything.**

Beverly wasn't sure what happened next. At some point she must have stopped screaming but she couldn't be sure when. Soon she felt strong arms wrap around her and lift her off the floor. Then someone seemed to be asking her something. She didn't know what because all she could do was stare at the gruesome sight. Finally, a hand touched her face and forced her eyes away. She came face to face with Caesar. He looked at her with concern. Then Beverly fainted dead away.

0o0

When she woke up, she was on the couch with some blankets around her.

"Hey, sleeping beauty is up. How ya feeling?" Rex's face appeared in her line of vision.

Beverly groaned and pushed herself up.

"What happened?" She groaned rubbing her head.

"You fainted." Circe stated.

"What? I've never fainted before." Beverly said startled.

"I'm not surprised. You had quite a shock." An unfamiliar voice chimed in.

Beverly looked at the new person. "Who are you?"

"I'm the detective of the town. Me llamo Señor Ricardo. Judge Muchado called me. Dead bodies usually mean a crime has been committed, no?" The man said with a touch of sarcasm. "If the señorita is well enough perhaps you can tell me how you were so fortunate to stumble upon the deceased."

Beverly closed her eyes and suppressed a shudder. "I was just leaving the ship when I saw the face from last night…."

"Un momento, what face?" "Detective Ricardo frowned.

Beverly explained about hearing noises and seeing the face in the window last night.

"So you followed this strange hombre to an isolated area of the hacienda?" Ricardo raised an eyebrow.

"I know, it was stupid but I was more curious than afraid." Beverly didn't like the man's tone. She wanted to add that she did not feel threatened at all by the little man. He seemed to be trying to tell her something.

"Hmm," the man thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "Can you show me where you saw this face and then where you saw the face prior to discovering the body?"

Beverly swallowed and nodded. She pushed the blankets off herself and got up a little unsteadily. A hand grabbed her arm to support her. She looked to thank the person and found herself looking at Caesar. He slipped his arm around her.

"Are you going to be okay? You don't have to go if you're not up to it." He said quietly.

Beverly wasn't sure why her stomach immediately filled with butterflies. She never heard Caesar speak to her with so much… concern.

She gave him a wavy smile. "I'll be okay." She assured him.

Caesar looked like he didn't believe her. But Beverly straightened herself up and tried to look confident. "Here, I'll show you," she addressed the officer.

0o0

Detective Ricardo examined the area around the window carefully, pulling out a magnifying glass. He used tweezers to pull the fabric from the splinter and dropped them into a plastic baggie. He then dusted for prints. He was a one man CSI team. "We are a small town. We do not have the luxury of extra help." He explained as the others watched him curiously.

Then they walked back to the area where the body was found. The area was roped off with yellow caution tape. Someone had respectfully draped a blanket over the arm to obscure it from view.

"The coroner will be coming tomorrow to pick it up. It will take him a while since he is from one town over." Detective Ricardo explained. "He will tell me the cause of death and I will continue the investigation from there. Meanwhile the area is off limits. Comprendes?"

The four American nodded.

"Now, I would like to talk to the tenants of the farm of this incident." Ricardo said.

"Please, señor." Circe interrupted him. "May we sit in on the interview?"

The man looked surprised. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Well, this land does belong to Rex and Caesar and if there is anything wrong I think they have a right to know." Circe said thinking fast.

Rex played along. "Yeah, I'd like to find out what's going on."

Caesar kept his mouth shut after he caught Circe's glare.

"Well, it is a little unconventional but I can't see why not. Just stay out of my way and do not interrupt." He warned them.

"We'll be as quiet as mice." Circe promised. She turned her head to Beverly and winked.

Beverly nodded slightly to show Circe that she understood.

The game was afoot.

0o0

The three couples nervously sat around in the living area.

The detective tried to put them at ease by exchanging some pleasantries in their native language.

Rex could only catch a few phrases here and there since they were speaking so fast. But he was mostly able to follow the conversation. Beverly, like Rex, was only able to understand a few words and sentences during the conversation but was lost in some parts. Circe was totally lost. Caesar, of course, understood perfectly.

Finally after the small talk was finished the detective switched to English and became stern.

"The señorita here tells me that she heard some noises last night. Any of you hear anything?" The detective began.

All three couples shook their head. "We were asleep." Jose said.

"Well, when the señorita went to see she encountered a face in the window." The detective continued. Would any of you know who it could be?"

Manuel cleared his throat, "Perhaps she is mistaken?"

The detective looked at him thoughtfully. "Once in the dark, the eyes may play tricks. But another in the daylight? That is too much of a coincidence, don't you think?"

Manuel blanched.

"What did this face look like?" Maria spoke up.

The detective looked at Beverly who felt uncomfortable at being put on the spot. She tried to put her thoughts into words, hopefully non-offensive words.

When she had finished describing the deformed man, she noticed Manuel's face had gotten paler.

The others also seemed to recognize the description.

"That sounds like Gnomo." Sebastian noted.

"Who is Gnomo?" Ricardo asked.

"He is the vagrant who lived on the edge of the Salazar's hacienda. The man was born with deformities and the Salazar's allowed him to stay since he had no where else to go. But he left when Durango and Chiquito started taking over the land." Juanita explained.

Caesar looked startled. "I never heard of that before."

The detective looked at him sharply as if to tell him to be quiet.

"I'm sure your parents would not have exposed him to you. His appearance would frighten the children so he only came out at night." Sofia said.

"How do you know this?" Ricardo asked.

"His presence is common knowledge among the ranchers. We didn't know he came back, however." Maria said.

"Interesting," the detective mused. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It seems I will need to speak to Gnomo."

"He doesn't speak. At least we've never heard him. "Sebastian interjected.

"Well, he must know some way to communicate. I will find a way." Ricardo said confidently as he stood up. "One final pregunta… do you know who the body is?"

The couples looked at each other. Finally, Juanita said, "Several years ago Señorita Martinez disappeared. Señor Martinez was one of the last ranchers that would not give up his land to Durango. When his wife disappeared he left his farm a broken man. Perhaps…." Juanita trailed off with a shrug.

"Hmm, "the detective nodded. "You may go."

The three couples got up and left.

Detective Ricardo waited till they left the room before turning to Rex and company.

"Well, find anything interesting?" He asked with a knowing look.

"I have never heard of Gnomo before." Caesar repeated. "But…" He stopped unwilling to continue.

"Poor Señor Martinez. I hope that isn't his wife." Beverly said sadly.

"I actually have a feeling it may be. I was on this case 6 or 7 years ago. It happened after the first nanite event when Durango and Chiquito became EVO's. They started snatching up land. At first the ranchers resisted but they intimidated most of them to giving up. Señor and Señorita Martinez were one of the last hold outs." Ricardo told them.

"You think that maybe Durango had something to do with her disappearance?" Rex's eyebrows rose to his hairline.

"Durango is too smart to get his hands dirty but I know he can get Chiquito to carry out his wishes." Ricardo said darkly.

"Aren't the brothers gone?" Circe inquired, remembering what Rex had told them.

"Yes and no. They have their own land originally. But Durango was greedy and wanted more. When he became an EVO he just went to the other ranchers and _asked_ them for their land. Most were intimidated enough to just give it to him. The others who didn't had _accidents_ happen. Most were too afraid to speak up. In the eyes of the law he didn't technically do anything wrong. When you broke the brothers' hold, they just returned to their own land." Ricardo explained.

"What about our tenants? Why didn't they return to their land?" Rex asked frowning. He didn't like the idea that the brothers were not punished for their actions.

"Ah, sí, your tenants were special cases. Chiquito is not a smart man and in the beginning of their acquisitions was a little more ruthless in his actions. He ended up destroying some of the ranches so that they were uninhabitable. Durango was very displeased. But even then charges were not pressed." Ricardo shook his head.

"Well, that's just not right!" Rex fumed. "We should go pay them a visit!"

"I will pay them a visit." Ricardo said firmly.

"But Señor Ricardo, Rex has dealt with them before. Maybe it would be a good idea to bring us so that Durango won't cause any problems." Circe suggested.

Ricardo looked at Circe curiously. "You may have a point. Although Durango is no longer an EVO, he is still a formidable foe. He may come but the rest of you must stay here."

Circe looked crestfallen.

"Don't worry chica, I'll let you know what happened." Rex gave Circe a kiss on the forehead and a wink.

Rex and Señor Ricardo walked off.

Beverly put a hand on Circe's shoulder. "I guess that didn't work," she whispered.

"Hey, there's other things we can do." Circe replied softly.

"Like what?" Beverly asked.

"Like look for Gnomo. Come on let's go."

**Me llamo Señor Ricardo=My name is Mr. Ricardo.**

**Un momento= one moment**

**Comprendes?= Understand?**

**pregunta=question**

**chica=girl**


	5. Chapter 5

**KakaAnko: Hey, glad to hear from you. Glad you like it.**

**I do not own the characters.**

Señor Ricardo and Rex walked up to Durango's property. Rex looked around disdainfully.

"So this is Durango's ranch? Looks pretty run-down to me." Rex scoffed.

"Well, not many people want to work with Durango after what he and his brother did. So he gets his help from outside the town. But from what I hear, he deals unscrupulously with his employees. Many leave after a few months and only the ones who can't find jobs elsewhere stay." Ricardo whispered.

"Who can't find jobs elsewhere?" Rex asked incredulously. Ricardo gave him a weary look.

"Oh," Rex suddenly understood. "So they're not all on the up and up.

"More trouble is caused by the ranchers from Durango's farm during the harvest season than all the other ranchers throughout the year put together." Ricardo nodded.

As they walked through the fence, a shot exploded at their feet. Rex jumped back and formed his smack hands. Ricardo looked at him in surprise for a second before he schooled his face into a more passive mien.

"Get off my land!" Rex recognized the bulky man even if he wasn't in his EVO form.

"Durango, I have questions for you," the detective was not fazed by the threatening stance of the former EVO.

"Unless you have a warrant from Muchado, I do not have to talk to you. Get off my land!" He growled.

"I can get a warrant but then I might not be so nice in my questioning. In fact, I may even get a search warrant to look through your property. Perhaps I may find something of interest." Detective Ricardo smiled patiently.

Durango's face twisted in rage. "You have no basis."

"How about Señorita Martinez?" Ricardo asked calmly.

All the bravado seemed to drain out of the man. "W…w…what did you say?" He stuttered.

"Her body has been discovered." Ricardo coldly informed him. "And Gnomo has been seen back on the Salazar's property."

"So? I am not involved." His words were negative but his body language betrayed his nervousness. Rex wasn't sure if it was because of the former or latter statement that made the large man sweat.

"Durango, what is wrong, hermano? Did he say Gnomo is back?" A small little man scampered from around the larger man.

Rex's eyes widened. "Chiquito?" He couldn't believe his eyes. The former bull EVO really was a small person.

The mousy little man glared at Rex before his mouth dropped open. "You are the machine boy from last time!"

"At your service or rather at your _dis_service." Rex smiled without amusement as he formed his smack hands.

Chiquito cowered behind his older brother.

Durango, meanwhile, looked disdainfully at his younger sibling. "I told you, _brother, _to stay in the house."

"Sorry, Durango." the little man cowered even more if that were possible.

"Now, now," Señor Ricardo said in a false friendly tone, " Chiquito can stay as this will save me the trouble of hunting him down later."

Durango glared at his brother then at the detective. "You may question me but leave him alone. He has not been well after the cure."

"Really? He seems fine to me." Rex scoffed.

"Are you a doctor?" Durango snapped. "You do not know how he suffers."

"Yeah, I bet." Rex muttered under his breath.

"If you have something to say, say it to my face." The large man balled up his fists.

"I said you're full of bull, pun intended!" Rex said louder as he took one step closer.

Durango also moved closer face red and fist raised.

Señor Ricardo immediately stepped in between the two combatants.

"Espera! Wait! Both of you will calm down or you will be spending the night in the town jail." Ricardo said firmly.

Rex and Durango took a step back but was still glaring at each other. Chiquito stood wringing his hands. How different from the large menacing EVO of the past.

"Now, Durango, "Señor Ricardo did not even bother with a polite title. " Tell me how you know Señorita Martinez."

"I did not know her." He snarled not looking away from Rex.

"Durango, perhaps you would like to rethink that answer. There are any number of people who can attest to you meeting her, including Señor Martinez." Ricardo regarded the rancher with disdain.

Durango blanched and answered, "I mean I did not know her well. Everyone knew of the Martinezes."

"Where were you when she disappeared?" He said with a slight smile.

"I was busy with work on my ranch." Durango sniffed.

"Ahh, and how do you know when she disappeared?" The detective asked with a touch of amusement.

"Well, of course, everyone remembers when she vanished. Señor Martinez was a raving lunatic! Talking nonsense!" He began blathering.

"And he came and accused you of having something to do with it." Señor Ricardo's eyes narrowed.

"He was mad." Durango said dismissively but Rex could see him sweating more.

"So you say, but you did threaten the couple. If I remember, you said that they can easily be gotten rid of."

"They were on my property. I meant for them to get off."

"I believe it was still their property at the time."

"No, no Durango owned the land." Chiquito asserted, "He got it fair and square."

"Really?" The detective looked curiously at the smaller brother. "And how do you define fair?"

"Chiquito! I told you to stay out of it! Go back to the house!" Durango turned his fury on his brother who cringed and scurried away.

Rex watched almost feeling sorry for the little runt… almost. Caesar may not be the warmest or sanest brother in the world but he certainly was a better brother than Durango.

"Durango, I believe you have some more questions to answer." Señor Ricardo addressed the angry man.

"No more. I will only answer questions with my lawyer present. Good day!" Durango stomped off.

Rex stepped up to grab him but Señor Ricardo held out his arm to stop Rex.

"No let him go. I got what I wanted." The detective smiled.

"You did?" Rex looked at him puzzled.

"Yes, I believe it is time for lunch. Care to join me? We can compare notes." He said jovially.

Rex's stomach growled.

The detective laughed amicably. "I will take that as a yes."

0o0

Beverly made sure Caesar was occupied with shifting through the old lab for more equipment. As she watched him, she off-handedly told him she was going for a walk with Circe. Caesar, just as she had hoped, nodded distractedly as he pulled parts out from around the cellar-lab. Beverly met Circe back at the house. Circe had packed a light lunch and was carrying some supplies in a bag.

After walking to the edge of the Salazar's property Circe and Beverly climbed along the ridge of some cliffs. They took a break for a lunch of roast beef sandwiches and cold ice tea. They resumed their search right after they finished eating.

"Circe, we've been looking for hours." Beverly complained. "It's starting to get dark."  
Circe sighed, "I didn't realize their property was so large. Maybe we should have brought a map. I can't tell where we've searched and where we haven't. Maybe we should try this tomorrow and be more methodical about it."  
"You mean split up to cover more ground?" Beverly smirked.

"Exactly, you know cartoons sometimes have good ideas." Circe smirked back.  
"Fine, but I'm not going with the talking dog. They're freaky." Beverly joked.  
Circe laughed. "Yeah, a talking chimp is weird enough." Beverly joined Circe's laughter.

They continued along the cliff heading back to the ranch. Then Beverly leaned against an odd colored stone wall. They gave way. Beverly gave a startled cry and fell in.  
Circe, who had her back turned when she heard Beverly's yell, spun around to find no one behind her.

"Bev! Beverly!" She cried hurrying over to where she saw Beverly last. When she reached the area she saw a hole in the side of the rock wall. "Beverly?" She cautiously stuck her head in. It was too dark to see anything. Circe pulled out her pen flashlight from her supplies and shone it into the hole. "Beverly? Are you in there?" She heard a groan from below her. She quickly shone her light down. Beverly was lying on her stomach a few feet down. Circe jumped the short distance and helped her up.  
"Hey, you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride." Beverly said ruefully. "What is this place?"  
"I don't know." Circe looked around with the flashlight. Her eyes widened. "Beverly, look."

Beverly looked up and gasped. The hole had led to a nicely furnished cavern. There was a bed and a table. An oil lamp sat on the table and a portable gas stove was propped up in the corner near a hole in the side of the cave for ventilation. An easel sat in the corner with a half finished painting while paints and brushes lay in an open box next to it.  
There were canvases all around the cave with paintings. Beverly looked on in awe.

"Wow," Circe murmured. "They're beautiful."  
"Yeah," Beverly agreed.  
"You think Gnomo painted all these?" Circe bent over one to get a closer look with the flashlight.

"Well who else?" Beverly touched one of the pictures. It had rough brush strokes but it captured a powerful scene of a thunderstorm on the range. "Well, we've discovered Gnomo's home. What now? We can't wait for him to come back."

"We'll come back tomorrow now that we know where he lives." Circe decided.

"What about Señor Ricardo?" Beverly asked.

"What about him?" Circe turned to her friend.  
"We should probably tell him we found Gnomo's sanctuary." Beverly gestured around her.

Circe bit her lip a moment and thought about it. "I guess we should. But I really wanted to talk to him first."

"How? I betting he doesn't speak English and neither of our Spanish is up to snuff." Beverly reminded Circe.

Circe sighed. "Yeah, you're right. But I wanted to get to the bottom of this ourselves, you know? Oh well, let's get out of here before it get's dark."

"We should patch up the hole." Beverly pointed to the gaping hole above her head.

"Are you serious? With what?" Circe looked at her wide eyed.

"Well, give me a boost up." Circe cupped her hands and Beverly stepped into them. Circe lifted her back through the hole onto the ledge. Beverly then reached out her hand to pull Circe up. Together they found a flat stone to lay across the opening. It wasn't perfect but at least it was no longer a gaping hole.

"Hope Gnomo doesn't mind." Beverly said as she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Well, let's hope he's not scared away." Circe sniffed.

"Hmm, didn't even think of that. I was just thinking that I didn't want him to get wet in case it rains or to just keep out the draft. " Beverly said.

"And here I thought you're the master detective." Circe teased.

"I said no such thing. I'm just me." Beverly said humbly.

The girls continued to talk as they walked home while the sun traveled lower across the sky.

They did not notice a cloaked figure hidden in the crevices of the rocks. The shadowy figure watched the girls head back to the ranch. It's eyes narrowed.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own nada.**

Caesar finished sorting through the lab. He was elated that he found so many parts that he needed. They were sorted into several boxes. He picked up the first and walked out of the lab. When he got to the top he frowned. The sun was much lower in the horizon. He didn't realize he had missed lunch and now it looked like it was almost dinner. Where was Rex? For that matter where was Beverly and Circe? As he stepped out into the open he collided with Sofia. The items in the box he was holding spilled across the ground.

"Oh, Lo siento mucho. I'm so sorry," she apologized.  
"It's okay." Caesar quickly moved to gather the dropped items.  
"Caesar?" Sofia asked tentatively.  
"Yes." He responded without looking up.  
"Do you remember me?" She asked shyly.  
"Uh, should I?" Caesar finally looked up. He realized that Sofia hadn't spoken until now.  
"We use to play together when you came here with your parents." She replied.  
"I...I, we did?" Caesar tried to think back. He vaguely remembered playing with other kids.

"Caesar?" Sofia's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, I sort of remember a girl who came with her parents when we came down here. Was that you?" Caesar frowned.

"Yes, that was me. "She said softly.

"Oh, okay. Well, why didn't you say something before?" This was turning very awkward even for him.

She smiled sadly. "I was hoping you'd remember and say something."

"Sorry." It was obvious to him that Sofia thought they were closer than they were. "That was a long time ago."

"Yes, it was," she said with a tinge of … bitterness?

"Okay, well, I need to find my brother and friends." He started to edge around her nervously.

"They aren't back yet." Her eyes had narrowed at him. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Who? Beverly? No. She's my assistance. I don't have a girlfriend." Although Caesar was usually oblivious to these things even he could feel something was off. He decided to remind her of her status. "You're married now."

"Sebastian is a good man. "She admitted face relaxing.

"Yes, so everything is good. See you." Caesar practically ran to his research pod.

When he got in and the door swished closed, he dropped the box. With his back against the door he slid down to the floor. He knew he shouldn't have come. But he hadn't remembered Sofia. He was actually nervous because of what he saw one night when he tried to sneak into his parent's lab. This was all before Rex was born and he was 6 years old. It was a particularly brutal day of no technology. He was going through severe science withdrawal. He decided to go into his parent's lab and get a microscope so he can look at cell structures when he encountered what he now knew was Gnomo. The grotesque figure was stooped over in the yard gathering something. Young Caesar stopped dead in his tracks. Gnomo looked up. He straightened up and held out his hand. Caesar didn't wait for him to do anything else. He bolted back to his room, locked his door, and hid under the covers. He didn't tell anyone because he didn't want anyone to know he saw something that totally stumped him. He was thinking back to the fairytales his abuela use to tell him when they were in Mexico specifically a duende, a gremlin.

After that day, his reluctance to come down to the farm became legendary. But for a while it didn't matter since they started traveling around the world. They returned to the farm once in a blue moon. But after Rex was born, his parents forced him to come to the farm more often. He never saw Gnomo again and eventually he convinced himself he had imagined it all. That still did not quell the uneasiness every time he had to accompany his family here. When Beverly saw the face, he wanted to convince her it didn't exist for his own sake. A knock at the door made him jump.

"Who's there?" He asked apprehensively.

"It's Rex. Who else would it be?" His brother's voice sounded annoyed.

"It could have been Circe, Beverly, or anyone of the tenants." Caesar started to list the any number of people it could have been.

He heard Rex sighed from the other side of the door. "Are you going to let me in?"

Caesar got up and opened the door.

"What is it?" Caesar asked.

"I came to get you for dinner. We're all waiting for you." Rex said. "Sofia said you were in the ship."

"I found some useful materials in the old lab. " Caesar began.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can tell us about your exciting finds at the dinner table. I'm starved." Rex grabbed his brother the same way Caesar had done earlier in the morning to him and pushed him out of the ship.

0o0

None of the tenants of the farm joined them for dinner again. The four sat in front of mounds of food.

"So Rex what happened at Durango's farm?" Circe tried not to sound too eager. But Rex could tell she was dying to know all the details.

He deliberately drew it out to tease her. "Well," He stopped to put a forkful of sorrentinos, ravioli filled with ham, mozzarella cheese and ricotta, into his mouth and chewed slowly. He swallowed, then took a long drink from his glass. He caught Circe's eye. She was glaring daggers at him. Rex grinned. He took his napkin and dabbed the corners of his mouth.

"That's it Rex, I'm so gonna clobber you!" Circe growled.

Rex laughed. "Oh come on, Circe, you know I wouldn't hold out on you."

"Hmph." She grunted as she took a bite of her own food.

Rex told them about the whole encounter at Durango's ranch. Then he told them about his lunch with the detective.

"There's this great café in town that serves homemade empanadas. It's so good." Rex started.

"Rex!" Circe warned him.

"Okay, okay, sheesh. I was just saying because maybe we want to go out there sometime. You know together." Rex sounded a little nervous at the last part.

Circe's face softened. "Sure Rex. I'd like that."

Rex looked relieved. "So Detective Ricardo was telling me that Durango had threatened the Martinezes when they wouldn't vacate their farm. Then coincidentally Mrs. Martinez disappears a week later. No one could find neither hide nor hair of her. It's like she fell off the face of the planet. Mr. Martinez goes nuts and accuses Durango of kidnapping her, which he denies."

"Of course." Beverly muttered.

"Yeah, and then all of a sudden Mr. Martinez stops accusing Durango and quietly leaves his farm. Just like that. Durango takes over his ranch. All the other ranchers slowly give into Durango's demands. That is until I show up." He said proudly.

"Mami and papi would have been proud of you." Caesar said quietly.

Rex looked amaze at the unexpected praise. The usual cocky smile faded and a wistful one replaced it. "Thanks." He said simply.

Caesar nodded as he forked ravioli into his own mouth. It was homemade and very good. Perhaps too good to waste talking about unsavory matters. He was about to suggest they change to a subject more suited for dinner when Beverly spoke next.

"So what could have happened that Mr. Martinez would suddenly stop looking for his wife. Does that mean he knew she was dead and Durango had killed her?" Her eyes widened.

"Maybe but there's no proof." Rex said. "Durango's not stupid enough to get his hands dirty." Rex repeated Ricardo's words. "Pass the fry bread."

Circe handed him the basket. "But his brother's not that smart. Maybe we can coax a confession out of him. Can I have some of that milanesa?"

Beverly handed Rex the plate of breaded fried steak to pass to Circe. Rex speared one with his fork before giving the plate to his girlfriend.

"Durango won't let Chiquito out of his sight. " Rex said in between bites. His eyes twinkled. "But get this, after the cure Chiquito really is chiquito, real small."

"Then it will be easy to intimidate him." Circe said pointedly. "We just need to get him away from his brother."

"And how are we going to do that? Ask to borrow him for a few hours?" Caesar finally spoke. "I say we stay out of this and let the police handle it. We are on vacation."

The other three looked at him for a brief second and continued their conversation.

"I bet Durango doesn't stay by Chiquito side 24-7. He has to go out and leave him on the ranch at some point during the day or week." Circe noted.

"Hey, we can do a steak out… no pun intended... at his ranch." Rex said getting excited.

Caesar threw his hands up in the air in defeat and went back to eating. Beverly gave him a cursory glance before adding. "Speaking of steak outs we found where Gnomo has been staying."

Suddenly, a crash of glasses could be heard from behind the door in the other room. Rex, Circe, and Beverly ran to the other room to see what had happened. When they swung open the door they saw Manuel picking up pieces of broken glass. He was white and his hands were shaking.

"Oh, what happened?" Beverly asked getting down to help with the clean-up.

"Clumsy me. I dropped the plate of glasses I was holding." He tried to pass it off as nothing but it was evident to all, even Rex, that he was hiding something. "No, no señorita, leave it. I'll take care of this. Sorry to disturb your dinner."

He ushered them out of the room back to the dining room.

Circe grabbed Beverly's arm and whispered to her, "You think he was eavesdropping?"

Beverly nodded in the affirmative. "Every time we mention Gnomo he gets jittery. Do you think he knows something?"

"Why are we whispering?" Rex asked behind them.

"Shhhh!" Both girls shushed him.

"We think he's been listening to our conversation." Circe nodded her head in the direction of Manuel.

"Well, let's talk some place more secure." Rex said.

"Like Caeser's research pod?" Beverly suggested.

"Perfect." Circe agreed.

They settled back into their chairs and finished their meal in silence interrupted occasionally by the scraping of silverware on the plates. Caesar did not know what brought about the quiet but he welcomed it. The whole situation was agitating him.

0o0

"Okay, let's list everything we know no matter how irrelevant it seems." Circe said at the white board holding a marker.

"I hear noises and see Gnomo at the window in the middle of the night. The next day I see him in broad daylight, even though they later tell us that he only comes out at night, and he leads me to a dead body. We look to see where he's living and we find it hidden in the cliffs at the edge of the property. He paints beautifully." Beverly listed her information.

"Durango during his property snatching EVO days threatened the Martinezes, she goes missing, husband complains, then stops and leaves. Durango takes over and fear reigns over the area. Chiquito did his dirty work mindlessly when he was a bull EVO but is now a shrimpy mess. And they both smell." Rex contributed. The two girls looked at him exasperated. "What? You said not matter how irrelevant."

Caesar's headache was steadily getting worse. It had started when he realized they were going to use his sanctuary as some sort of meeting room to discuss the very thing he did not want to be involved in.

"Guys, what is the purpose of this?" He asked them tiredly.

Circe looked at him. "To get to the bottom of this of course. Now let' brainstorm some possibilities."

"The butler did it!" Rex interjected. All three turned and looked at him. "What? It's always the butler in the books."

"We don't have any butlers, Rex." Circe said through gritted teeth. "Get serious."

"I think Gnomo was trying to tell me something." Beverly began slowly; then she picked up momentum. "I think he knew where she was buried. He was trying to tell me."

"Why you?" Caesar asked.

"I don't know." Beverly said. "Maybe because I saw him first?"

"I think Durango got Chiquito to kill her as a warning to the other ranchers." Rex said seriously this time.

"Why did Mr. Martinez stop his accusations and leave? I mean it would make more sense that after he finds out she's dead to seek justice or something, right?" Beverly said softly.

"Hmm, good question. Maybe he just got scared for his own life?" Rex ended his statement more as a question.

"Perhaps, but he didn't seem like someone who would scare easily. Bev's right. I think he would seek justice if his wife was killed. So he must have found out something else. We need to find Mr. Martinez's friends and talk to them." Circe said as she wrote down everything they said on the board.

Caesar groaned. "You're not going to let up are you?"

All three shook their heads.

"Fine. Then let me add, didn't all the tenants here say they knew the Martinezes? Why don't you start with asking them?" Caesar said reasonably.

Circe blinked. "That's actually a really good idea. Thanks."

"If you can't beat them, join them." Caesar muttered. Beverly gave him a radiant smile, which made his stomach do flip-flops.

"Okay, first thing tomorrow. We'll split up and talk to the tenants. Beverly and I will talk to the ladies and Rex and Caesar can talk to the guys." Circe planned.

"What about going back to Gnomo's place?" Beverly asked.

"Well when the coroner comes tomorrow, I'm sure Detective Ricardo will be there. We'll talk to him then and we'll go together to see Gnomo." Circe said.

"Sounds good." Rex yawned. "I'm beat. Let's get some shut-eye. Tomorrow's a big day."

The day turned out bigger than anyone had planned.

**Can you tell I really like food? I was making myself hungry this chapter. I had to research authentic Argentinian fare because I had forgotten what some of the food was called. I had eaten it in Argentina. (I was pick pocketed in Buenos Aires. I was in a college group that went to different exotic locations every year. So I've been to Costa Rica, Chile, Greece, and Argentina.) Despite the fact that I had to live on practically no money for the rest of the trip, Argentina is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people (Except the pick pockets who poured mustard on my jacket and grabbed the money out of my pocket while I was distracted. ) **


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't know when I'm going to update next. Although the school year is supposedly winding down, I'm pretty sure the administration is trying to kill me. Can't talk about it since one of my students saw an email from Fan Fiction and started getting all excited. I told her to stop reading over my shoulder at my private email on my phone (I have stalkers). So just in case she finds me I won't say anything incriminating. I can't retire for another 20 years and I need this job at least until I can put my kids through college, which won't be a while. **

**Also writing a mystery is difficult because there needs to be subtle hints here and there of who the killer is. I need to make sure it's there but to not make it obvious. Now I remember why I couldn't finish my other mysteries. Bangs head on computer. **

**I do not own Gen Rex.**

Sunlight streamed into Rex's room. He covered his eyes and groaned. He contemplated getting up and pulling the curtains close but was too lazy to get up. He just pulled the covers over his head and turned away from the window. He enjoyed the silence and slowly drifted back to sleep… which was quickly abandoned when he heard a scream. Rex bolted up and fell off the bed dragging his pillow and sheets with him.

"Owww, "he moaned. Another scream punctuated through the air. Rex rolled around to try to get up but got tangled in the sheets instead. He kicked and pushed until he was free and ran out of his room. Circe, Beverly, and Caesar were already outside.

"What was that?" Circe asked.

"Got me." Caesar shrugged.

There was another scream.

"Come on. It's coming from outside." Beverly already had her hand on the door leading outside.

The foursome ran outside. Juanita was running towards the ranch from the fields.

"Quick! Call an ambulance! Sebastian's been hurt!" She yelled at them.

Caesar and Rex immediately went back into the house. The girls ran to Juanita and held her as she collapsed into their arms.

"What happened?" Beverly asked.

"The men went out early this morning to check the equipment and the crops. I went to tell them breakfast was ready. Manuel and Jose were in the field. They told me Sebastian went to check the combine in the shed. When I went in, I didn't see him. I heard some noise and found him at the bottom of the grain tank. There's blood everywhere." She shuddered then broke into a sob.

Circe and Beverly looked at each other. Circe handed the woman to Beverly and ran off in the direction of the shed.

"Wait, Circe where are you going?" Beverly called after her.

Circe didn't answer. She didn't want to expose Beverly to anymore gruesome scenes. She on the other hand had seen enough in her life that she had been desensitized to practically anything. She walked into the shed where the accident occurred. She saw the other two men. Jose tried to block her way.

"Senorita, please don't come any closer. It is not pretty."

Circe pushed her way passed him ignoring the men's protest. In one fluid movement, she was on top of the grain tank. Once she reached the top she slid a little. The men gasped when she swung her arms erratically to keep her balance. She quickly regained her balance and bent to examine the area. It was greased! Circe carefully found a place to stand that was relatively safe. Circe peered inside. Sebastian was sprawled on the bottom. There was blood coming from his head. It looked like he barely missed the auger liners at the bottom of the tank. Good thing too. Auger liners were used to churn the grain so that it wouldn't stick. Landing on one could really cause some serious damage. Something else caught her eye. There was a piece of cloth stuck on a screw. Circe looked closer. It was the same fabric from Gnomo's poncho! She debated taking it.

"Señorita!" A voice called her sharply. "Please step away from the there."

Circe cursed silently and turned around. Detective Ricardo was standing there with another older bespectacled gentleman in a lab coat.

"He's hurt and needs medical attention now." Circe told them.

"That's what he's here for. This is Doctor Garcia. He's also the coroner." Ricardo said sternly pointing at the man next to him. The doctor climbed up the grain tank.

"Wait!" Circe said.

But the doctor ignored her and when he got to the top, he slipped just like Circe had. Circe grabbed his hand before he could fall.

"Gracias, señorita," the doctor looked a little pale. He touched the platform of the grain tank. "This whole area is coated in grease. No wonder he fell. I'm surprised you didn't fall in yourself." The doctor looked at Circe.

"I almost did." She simply said.

The other two men confirmed it. The doctor, however, was no longer interested in Circe. He had caught sight of the injured man. "It's too small for me to go down. There must be a way to get him out in order for me to examine him."

"Leave that to me, if you can just clear a space for me." Rex had walked in.

Circe looped an arm around the doctor and jumped down. The doctor, who was surprised at her strength and agility, gaped at her. Circe gave a smug smile.

Rex formed his smack hands and tore the grain tank in half like it was made of paper.

Sebastian started sliding out. Ricardo and the doctor quickly came over and caught him. He was gently laid on the ground. The doctor examined him.

"His head is badly injured and he may have broken some bones but he is breathing on his own. We need to take him to the hospital immediately."

"Good thing we have a stretcher." Ricardo said without irony. "I guess the body can wait. It doesn't need it as much as Señor Sebastian does."

The doctor quickly left to fetch it. Ricardo meanwhile looked at the group gathered.

"Someone better start explaining. Starting with you, señorita." He turned his glare to Circe. Circe returned his look unswervingly.

She calmly told him all that occurred since this morning.

"Why did you come here?" The detective questioned her.

"I wanted to see if he was all right." That was partly true but she also wanted to see if it was just as "accident." From the grease it didn't look like it. Clearly, the detective thought so too.

"Young lady, you may be tampering with a crime scene. I must insist you stay out of the way or else." The detective warned her harshly.

Circe bit back a reply remembering Beverly's words about being guests. So she pointed instead to the top of the now destroyed tank. "You may find something interesting up there,_sir_." She said the last part bitingly.

Ricardo eyed her warily and climbed up the tank avoiding the greased area. After fussing for a few minutes he came down.

"You know what this is?" He held the piece of fabric in some tweezers.

"I have a pretty good idea." Circe rejoined.

"What?" Rex came up looking confused.

"Gnomo." Ricardo simply said. Rex looked from the detective to Circe.

"You don't mean that…" Rex gaped at both of them.

"We need to speak to Gnomo immediately!" Ricardo growled.

"Well, we know where he is." Circe said casually.

The detective turned his gaze back on her. "And how do you know this señorita?"

"Beverly and I found where he's been living yesterday when we were exploring the cliffs."

"And why were you doing that?" The detective looked at her suspiciously.

"This is the Salazar's land, isn't it? We have a right to go anywhere we want on it, don't we?" Circe retorted.

Ricardo said nothing but turned to the tenants, except he only saw one person in the wing. "Where's Señor Manuel?"

Jose looked surprised. "Yo no sé. I don't know. He was standing right behind me.

"Maybe he went to help the doctor?" Rex suggested.

Circe frowned. "No, he's been acting strange ever since we got here. I bet he's up to something."

"Well, we will be questioning everyone again." Ricardo promised. "But first we must get the injured man to the hospital."

The doctor arrived with the stretcher. Sofia ran into the shed, hysterical.

"Where's Sebastian?" She cried. Circe and Rex tried to shield her from the mess but she saw him. She screamed and began to cry inconsolably. Caesar and Beverly walked into the shed. When Sofia saw Caesar, she ran into him and clung to him sobbing. Caesar stiffened and looked around lost as to what to do. Beverly was conflicted. She didn't like the fact that Sofia was clinging to him but she understood that Sofia had just experienced something traumatic. She nodded to Caesar and indicted with her arms that he should hold her. Caesar blanched and looked at her incredulously. She nodded vigorously and used her arms again to indicate that he should comfort her.

Caesar reluctantly put one of his arms around her awkwardly and patted her back.

"There, there. It's going to be okay." He mumbled. Then he looked at Beverly to see if he was doing it right. She gave him a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Sebastian was put on the stretcher by the doctor and Ricardo. The doctor wheeled the patient to the door. He turned to Ricardo.

"I will be back later this afternoon." He turned to the wife. "Do you want to come with your husband to the hospital.

Sofia nodded wordlessly and followed the doctor and her husband out. Caesar looked relieved.

Ricardo watched the doctor leave. He immediately turned to the crowd. "What happened here?" He demanded.

0o0

All the tenants minus Manuel were questioned by the detective. Circe took careful note of what each person said. The women were in the kitchen making breakfast. Manuel, Jose and Sebastian went to the fields to check on the second round of crops. Jose was going to check the grain tank but at the last minute Sebastian went instead. Juanita came out to call them in for breakfast and went into the shed to get Sebastian. When she didn't see him she was about to go out but heard moaning coming from the tank. She climbed up and saw Sebastian lying at the bottom. She ran out to get the men and then ran to the house to get help.

After listening to all accounts, Ricardo dismissed the tenants but kept Rex and his friends. He rubbed his temple. "Sí, sí, sí. Let me get this straight. You were sleeping when you were woken up by Señorita Juanita's screams." They nodded. "Señor Manuel seems to have disappeared and you think he and Gnomo have a connection?" Circe and Beverly nodded. "You two also discovered where Gnomo has been living?" Again the girls nodded. Ricardo rubbed his eyes. "Well, you might as well show me." He sighed. "Let's go."

The group walked out of the ranch with Circe and Beverly in the lead.

"So you think today wasn't an accident?" Rex walked next to the detective. Ricardo's face darkened. "Usually, I do not discuss cases with… civilians. But since you all seemed bent on _helping_ me, I will share only enough so that you do not end up hindering me."

He rubbed his face before continuing. "Today was no accident. A lubricant was strategically placed so that whoever came to check the grain tank would have met with an accident… perhaps even death. The fabric you found," He eyed Circe who had turned her head slightly to listen. "Looks to be the same as the one I found earlier by the window." Circe and Beverly exchanged glances. "There is no proof that Señor Sebastian was the intended target. After we find Gnomo, we will find Señor Manuel and have a little talk."

They arrived at Gnomo's place. The rock that they placed across the hole was still there. They pushed it aside and jumped down to the living area. Ricardo passed flashlights down so they could see. Beverly turned on hers and circled around. She gasped. The whole place was trashed. The paintings were torn and what little furniture was overturned.

"What happened?" Circe was also shocked. She joined her light with Beverly's so they could see better.

Ricardo, Rex, and Caesar surveyed the damage.

"Looks like someone got here before us." Rex stated the obvious.

Caesar glanced at Beverly and was shocked to see tears in her eyes. He involuntarily moved next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gripped it taking comfort from his touch.

"All those beautiful paintings. What a waste." She said sadly.

Ricardo looked around. "Don't touch anything there may still be evidence of some sort."

"Who could have done this? And why?" Rex wondered out loud.

"A warning or maybe they were looking for something." Caesar suggested.

"It looks more like they were destroying evidence. Do you remember what the paintings were?" Ricardo looked around with his flashlight. Beverly closed her eyes and tried to remember. It was mostly landscapes.

"No," she said sadly.

"Shhh," Circe said suddenly. Everyone went still. Noise came from one end of the cave. Rex formed his fun chucks for light and started down the dark tunnel. As he continued walking a shadow appeared on the opposite wall.

"Stop!" He demanded.

The figure darted away.

"Of course!" Rex grumbled as he gave chase. His fun chucks hindered his progress. Circe ran past him. She outpaced Rex and tackled the figure.

"All right, why did you trash the cave? Talk or so help me I'll..."

The rest of the group caught up to her.

"Enough señorita." Ricardo said. "Get up. He won't be going anywhere." He addressed the man on the floor. "Slowly get up Señor. No funny business. You are surrounded."

The man pushed himself up and turned around.

Everyone gasped. It was Manuel!


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own any of the characters.**

"Why would you destroy Gnomo's home?" Beverly demanded angrily.

"No, you have it wrong. I would never hurt Gnomo." Manuel held up his hands to emphasize his innocence.

"And why should we believe you?" Circe looked at him skeptically.

His eyes nervously darted around. "He's my brother." He finally answered.

"Wait what?" Rex asked dumbfounded. "You're kidding."

"No he is my older brother. His real name is Enrique. He was ashamed of his appearance and disappeared from home when I was little. I never figured out what happened to him until my parents died and I inherited their ranch. Then I heard from the other ranchers that a deformed vagrant was living on the Salazar's land. When I investigated I realized he was my long lost brother. After that I visited him when I could. He didn't want anyone to know we were related."

"Why not?" Beverly was curious.

"He was afraid that his condition would make it difficult for me to marry or conduct business. Some people see him as an omen against the family." Manuel admitted.

"What are you doing here?" Circe wasn't interested in his life story.

He didn't answer.

"Do you think Gnomo pushed Sebastian into the grain tank?" Beverly asked quietly.

"No he would never do that!" Manuel cried angrily.

"Then what are you doing here?" Ricardo shot a warning glance at all present. He was the one doing the questioning.

"I came to warn him." He acknowledged.

"About what?" Ricardo snapped.

"That the policía is looking for him." He glared at the detective. "I know he wouldn't harm a fly but because of the way he looks no one would believe it. See how you come here to arrest him."

Ricardo sighed. " We are not here to arrest anyone. We are here to talk, to get answers."

"He isn't here anyway. When I came, the place was destroyed. I went off to see if I can find him. Sometimes he likes to go to other parts of the cave."

"Well let's all look." Ricardo said firmly.

0o0

After several hours of searching, they didn't find anything.

"Where could he have gone?" Circe asked frustrated.

"Well maybe he was scared away." Beverly answered.

"Either way, we need to head back. I need to be there when the doctor shows up to take the body. I will call up someone to stay here in case Gnomo comes back." Ricardo said tiredly.

"I'll stay." Manuel volunteered.

Ricardo glared at him. "I am sure you will understand when I way you can not be trusted. I still need to know your whereabouts this morning."

Manuel looked defiantly at him, "Jose was there with me the whole time this morning and I was with my wife all last night. I did nothing wrong."

Ricardo rolled his eyes, "Of course. It's always that way isn't it?"

"I am telling the truth." Manuel declared angrily.

"We'll see. Meanwhile we need to be getting back." Ricardo said stiffly.

The little group walked back to the ranch. When they arrived, Ricardo sent Manuel into the house to wait for him. The coroner was already there with other men.

"Hola, I brought some men to help me with exhuming the body from the ground. I figured you would be busy with the incident this morning." The doctor informed him.

"Gracias, I appreciate it. It also saves me the trouble of calling someone to stake out the cave." Ricardo said.

"Perdóneme?" The doctor asked puzzled.

"Nothing for you to worry about." Ricardo walked over to the back of the house.

The doctor looked questioningly at the rest.

They shrugged not wanting to get into details with him.

The doctor sighed, "I suppose I will go and see where the men are up to." He then walked to the back of the house.

As soon as he turned the corner, Circe whirled around on the group.

"Rex, can you lure Durango from his ranch?" She looked at him.

"I guess. Why?" He looked at her curiously.

"I think it's time Beverly and I had a talk with Chiquito." Circe said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Okay, but you better take Caesar along." Rex said glancing at his brother.

"What? Why?" Caesar protested. "I don't want to be involved."

"To protect Beverly." Rex hissed at him.

Beverly's eyes narrowed. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Besides there isn't much Circe and I can't handle."

Circe smiled. "Besides I have a job for Caesar."

Caesar groaned. "Don't I have a say in this?"

"Of course not." Circe said sweetly.

0o0

Caesar had no idea how he ended up where he was. He was an expert on nanites for crying out loud not some assistant to a coroner. But Circe had _suggested_ that he offer his help to the doctor so he could get the inside scoop of how the victim died. Circe was sure that the doctor would not turn down help especially from someone as _famous_ as him. Unfortunately, Circe was right. When the doctor learned that he was _the Doctor Salazar_ working on nanite technology, he immediately allowed him into the autopsy. The doctor also happened to have known Caesar's parents and was talking about them.

"Rafael and Violeta eran inteligentes." He said enthusiastically as he gathered his instruments.

"Uh-huh." Caesar eyed the operating table uneasily.

"I'm sorry I never had a chance to meet their children."

"Well, you're meeting them now. " Caesar edged away from the table as the doctor produced a hack saw.

"Ha, ha, sí, you are just like your father. Same sense of humor." Doctor Garcia pulled back the blanket from the face. Caesar could see that there was a hole in the middle of the forehead. He also could tell that it was a woman. " So sad. I knew her and her husband in happier times." The doctor put down the hack saw and picked up the scalpel. He pulled the sheet further down. Caesar averted his eyes as the doctor made an incision in her chest. " So young and to have this cruel end happen. It's not fair." Doctor Garcia kept talking.

"Uh-huh." Caesar avoided looking at the body. "Very unfair." Caesar listened to the sickening sound of cracking bone as well as other disgusting unidentifiable sounds.

"Hmmm, body is strangely preserved, probably because of the lime from the foundation where she was buried. There doesn't seem to be any internal injuries. Organs all look normal."

Caesar wished the doctor would stop doing a play by play of all the details. But despite the goriness he listened intently to the coroner.

"Well, let's check out the head. Although by the size of the hole it looks like that's what killed her."

"Bullet?" He tried not to cringe as the hack saw appeared at the corner of his eye. He swallowed hard and shifted his eyes to the jars of specimen floating in formaldehyde in the doctor's lab. His stomach turned as he heard the saw working.

"No, it's too big for a bullet. It looks more like it was made by an arrow."

"Arrow?" Startled Caesar swung his head to look at the doctor. That was a mistake. Caesar now saw the corpse and all the work that was done. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the floor in a dead faint.

0o0

"Ok Rex, you know what to do?" Circe looked at her boyfriend.

"Yup." Rex confirmed.

"Once Durango leaves Bev and I will sneak in and question Chiquito. I'll follow Durango and when he's coming back you give the signal." Circe reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'm not an idiot." Rex rolled his eyes.

"No, just a nitwit." She teased.

"Hey! And no one uses nitwit anymore." Rex replied in jest.

"There he goes." Beverly interrupted them.

They watched as Durango drive out alone in his pick up truck. Rex gave him some distance and then formed his rex ride to follow the truck.

Beverly and Circe immediately snuck into the compound. It seemed deserted.

"Everyone must be taking a siesta." Beverly murmured.

"Perfect." Circe motioned Beverly to follow.

They easily made it to the main house. Once there, Circe tried the door. It wasn't locked. They pushed their way in. The long narrow hallway was dim as if the thought of light was too much for the interior.

"Where is he?" Beverly asked in frustration.

"I don't know." Circe shrugged, and then paused. "Wait, I hear something coming from over there."

The two girls snuck down the hallway toward the room.

Circe and Beverly poked their heads in. Chiquito was sitting in a large armchair watching TV. His back was towards them. Every so often he would laugh.

Circe motioned with her head to Beverly who nodded. Together they walked toward the armchair.

"Hello, Chiquito." Circe purred.

Chiquito practically jumped out of his skin.

He relaxed when he saw it was just two teenage girls.

"W…w…what do you want?" He stammered nervously.

'We just want to talk." Circe said sweetly.

"Well, I don't feel like talking." Chiquito said petulantly.

"That's too bad because we're feeling chatty." Circe's voice started to harden.

"I'm busy. Go away!" He went back to watching his show.

Beverly walked over and shut off the set.

"Hey!" He bolted up. Circe gripped his shoulder and pushed him down.

"Now, now don't want you to be distracted. You don't want to make us angry." She growled.

"What if I do?" Chiquito tried to sound tough.

Circe blasted the vase on the end table. It shattered.

Chiquito yelped, "You're an EVO!"

"And Rex said you weren't smart." Circe slipped back into her sweet voice.

"What do you want?" He whimpered.

"I want to know what you did with Señora Martinez." Circe said sternly.

Chiquito turned pale. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Really? So right after you and your brother threaten the Martinezes she goes missing. Seems... suspicious to me. " Circe said incredulously.

"We had nothing to do with it." Chiquito protested.

"So who did?"Circe slammed her hands down on either side of the armrest and pushed her face close to the man. He flinched.

"I…I…I don't know!" He stuttered.

"I think it was you. Your brother would never get his hands dirty. He would send you to take care of them and you will take the fall." Circe snarled.

"No, he wouldn't do that." But he didn't sound so confident.

"Oh no? Durango's always berating you and telling you what a disappointment you are." Circe scoffed.

"He cares about me." He insisted.

"He only cares about himself. He wouldn't think twice letting you take the blame." Circe said in a low dramatic voice.

"No no no. He wouldn't." He yelled. Then he broke down into sobs. "He cares, he cares."

Circe looked and Beverly and gave a slight nod.

Beverly sprung into action.

"Chiquito I am sure you think your brother cares and he may very well. But if you did anything you should say something. We just want to know if you've done anything to Señora Martinez. She's dead and we found the body. If you did anything to her there's going to be evidence on the body."

Sobbing he muttered, "We didn't hurt her we just wanted to scare her. We were going to release her after he agreed to give us the land. Then she escaped. We don't know how." Chiquito looked so forlorn that Beverly felt sorry for him. "I didn't do anything to her. We were just going to hold her a little while to talk to her but when I wasn't... She got away. We never heard from her again. We thought she just went away." He was now babbling.

It looked like he was about to say more but suddenly Circe's phone went off

It was the signal! Durango was coming back.

"Quick! Bev we need to get out of here." Circe looked at her partner.

Bev and Circe left the younger brother sobbing on the living room floor. They ran back to the door. Durango's truck was rounding the corner. Circe grabbed Beverly's hand and pulled her around the back of the house. "Come on!"

They heard Durango's angry yell. Running into the barn to hide they climbed up onto the rafters and hid under the loose hay there.

Beverly heard pounding footsteps enter the barn. The men were speaking in rapid fire Spanish. She could make out a few sentences

"They came in here. Where are they? Check everywhere."

Beverly held her breath as she heard steps climbing up to the rafters. Suddenly a pitchfork came awfully close to her head. A few more inches and you could have used her head as a sieve. She debated whether it was worth letting them know she was there just so they didn't accidently spear her. Then she realized that if they were using pitchforks they were aiming to hurt her anyway. The pitchfork now just missed her arm. She was about to give up when another voice calling from below stopped the movements from around her.

"The boss needs help!"

Everyone immediately left. When all was quiet and she was sure there was no one around she tentatively lifted her head up. A hand came close to her face. She gasped and rolled back.

"Relax it's just me." Circe said.

"Come on they're gone let's get out before they come back." Beverly didn't have to be told twice. They quickly left the ranch.

Circe and Beverly met Rex at the appointed place. When they got there Rex was pacing.

As they got closer Rex was relieved to see them. "Thank goodness. When Durango unexpectedly turned around I thought you guys would get caught for sure. "

"Well we almost did but then they left suddenly." Circe said

"They said the boss needed them." Beverly added.

Rex smirked.

"Was that you?" Circe asked wide-eyed.

"Well, I wanted to create a diversion in case you were trapped." Rex said smugly.

"What did you do?" Beverly asked starting to smile.

"Let's just say the bull on our ranch isn't the only one that likes my backside." Rex said proudly.

"You released the bull?" Beverly grinned.

"Uh no, I released all the bulls. They're probably dealing with a stampede right about now." Rex laughed.

Circe walked over to Rex. "That was quick thinking." To his surprise she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I did good?" He smirked when she pulled back.

"You did very good." They grinned at each other.

Beverly cleared her throat, "So now what?"

Without releasing Rex, Circe answered. "Now we go see what Caesar found out."


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own the characters.**

"Bro, you passed out? What kind of doctor are you?" Rex teased.

"Rex, I am a research scientist and inventor. I am not a surgeon." Caesar said loftily.

"Good thing too." Rex snickered.

Caesar made a face at him.

"What did you find out?" Beverly asked gently.

Caesar looked startled. He had forgotten she was there. Then he blushed hoping Beverly wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation.

"Well the doctor says that the cause of death was cerebral contusion and intracranial hemorrhage." Caesar said.

"What's that in English?" Circe asked.

"Someone bashed her brains in." Beverly supplied.

"Ewww." Rex made a face.

"More than bash, something like an arrow pierced her head." Caesar shuddered remembering the autopsy.

"Double ewww." Rex looked a little green.

"Arrow? Or a horn like on a bull?" Circe asked getting excited.

"You know, that's what I was thinking. But Chiquito said they didn't do anything to her." Beverly said.

"You believed him?" Rex scoffed.

"Well, a little... he seemed to be telling the truth." Beverly said uncertainly.

"Maybe Durango caught her and finished her off without telling Chiquito." Circe suggested.

"Maybe but something isn't adding up." Beverly closed her eyes.

"I don't know; it seems pretty obvious that Durango and Chiquito are involved in Señora Martinez's murder to me." Rex said.

"What about Sebastian this morning?" Beverly asked.

"What about him?" Rex asked.

"They don't have to be related. Maybe Gnomo was the one who greased the platform or pushed Sebastian in." Circe replied understanding Beverly's question.

"No," Beverly insisted, "I don't think that it was him. I think somehow the two are related I just can't see the connection... yet."

"Beverly, perhaps you're not looking at this rationally. Gnomo might not be as benevolent as you believe." Caesar interrupted.

Beverly looked at Caesar in disbelief. "He's not involved in the murder. He led me to the body. It's like he's trusting me to solve this."

"That's only because you saw him first. It has nothing to do with you personally." Caesar said losing patience.

"Well, I think it does and if it was because I saw him first then fate wants me to solve this." Beverly snapped.

Beverly and Caesar glared at each other. Caesar started having an uneasy feeling in his chest. He didn't like fighting with her. Why did she have to be so stubborn... like her sister?

Beverly was also feeling strange. Was this their first real fight? Why would it matter? They weren't together. What does it matter if they disagreed?

"Well, if you're not helping then stay out of the way." She growled and walked off.

"Wow, bro. That's twice in a row you made her mad." Rex observed.

Caesar shot Rex an impatient look before walking off as well.

Circe sighed. "I guess it's just you and me."

Rex perked up, "Yeah, what do you have in mind?"

"Down boy. I meant it's up to us to look for more clues."

"Or we could check out the empanada place." Rex's stomach growled.

Circe laughed. "Ok Rex, I guess we can spare a few hours."

"Sweet." Rex said as he formed his rex ride.

Circe grabbed a helmet and got on behind him. They took off for the cafe.

0o0

Beverly sat on the edge of the fence looking at but not really seeing the cattle in the pen. Maybe Caesar was right. Maybe she was taking this too personally. She did have a tendency to take on causes. But on the other hand she felt bad for Gnomo… an outcast because of the way he looked. She knew what it felt like to be different. It seemed like he was reaching out to her. She couldn't say no to that. With that last thought she jumped off the fence and walked out toward Gnomo's cave.

Caesar walked around the lab. Being around scientific instruments always calmed him down. He didn't know why it mattered to him what Beverly did. She was a big girl. She could do whatever she wanted. But he didn't want to see her get hurt. He paused. Where did that thought come from? Did he care about her? Then in what way did he care about her? As a friend? Or more? He passed a hand over his face nervously. He was not comfortable confronting these feelings. He was more comfortable being able to make objective observations and conclusions. This was beyond the realm of his experience or expertise. If he was stumped on a scientific conundrum he would ask for a second opinion from someone who was an expert in the field like Holiday, Rylander, or Meechum. But who did he know who would know about this kind of thing? He could only think of one person and he was not looking forward to talking to him about it.

0o0

Rex and Circe sat at an outside table. They sipped their drink and enjoyed the sleepy pace of the town.

"You're right Rex. These are delicious." Circe smiled at him over her cup.

Rex's grin grew. "I know my food." He put his cup down and grew serious. "I was hoping for more bonding time with Caesar. I guess I can't ever have an uneventful trip."

Circe felt guilty. It was really Beverly's and her fault that they were still involved. They could have just let Ricardo take care of this.

"Hey, Rex, if you want us to stop meddling…" Circe began.

"No, no. It's not that. I want to know what happen as much as you. After all the body was buried on my property." Rex assured her. "I just wish Caesar would take an interest in you know family…"

Circe nodded. She wished she had a family. For a while she thought she had found it with the Pack but she soon came to realize that a healthy family should not be using you as a means to an end. When she joined Rex's old gang in Hong Kong she started to understand what a real family was like. But that ended fairly quickly thanks to Black Knight. Then when she joined Rex at Providence she had a taste of what she missed. Dr. Holiday was so… maternal. Six was the stern father-figure. Beverly was starting to be like a sister to her. Caesar was the strange but harmless uncle. Bobo was the brother that no one talked about and only acknowledged during the holidays. White Knight was the cranky grandfather. Yeah, the whole family was there.

"Rex!" An angry voice interrupted her thoughts. Startled she looked up to see an angry Durango walking up to the table. Durango barely glanced at her. Circe hoped Durango did not get a good look at her from before.

Rex looked nonchalantly at Durango, "Can I help you?"

"I know you had something to do with Chiquito being so distraught!" Durango shouted.

"You need to take better care of your brother." Rex said calmly.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Durango raged.

"I didn't do anything to your brother." Rex said truthfully since it was Circe and Beverly doing the interrogation. "Did he say it was me?"

"He wouldn't tell me anything. I saw two people fleeing from the house and Chiquito in the house." Durango snorted.

"Well, then it was the two people." Rex said reasonably.

Durango flipped over the table. Circe shot up and got into a defensive stance. Rex looked at the former EVO with a bored look. "You done?" He asked.

Durango grabbed Rex's jacket and lifted him out of the seat. Circe gasped. She didn't understand why Rex wasn't doing anything. She got ready to jump on Durango to get him to let go of Rex.

Rex still with a serene look on his face looked behind Durango, "Buenos tardes, good afternoon, Detective Ricardo."

"Buenos tardes. Durango is there any reason you are threatening this child?" Ricardo asked sternly.

Durango dropped Rex and with a scowl on his face turned to face the detective. "He threatened my brother."

"Really, did Chiquito tell you this?" Ricardo arched an eyebrow.

"Well, no… but it must have been him!" Durango sputtered.

"Well, I heard you say two people, so unless Rex has learned to duplicate himself you need to find another to accuse."

"He could have had an accomplice!" Durango was grasping at straws.

"Unless you have undeniable proof, I can not allow you to go around threatening other people." Ricardo said firmly.

Durango shot an angry look at Rex before muttering, "This isn't over, boy." Then he stalked off.

"So, I can take it we found something interesting?" Ricardo asked when Durango was well out of earshot.

"Maybe." Rex hedged.

Ricardo sighed. "I have time, might as well tell me." He picked up the table and pulled up another chair.

0o0

Beverly walked through the ravine on her way towards the cave. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. She knew that detective Ricardo had someone stationed at the cave in case Gnomo showed up. Would that person let her in to look through the cave. She wanted to see if any of those paintings were salvageable.

As Beverly walked toward the cave she felt something was off. First off she didn't see anyone standing guard. When she got closer she realized that the area toward the cave's opening showed signs of disturbance. The rock was moved out of the way. The dirt around the area was no longer smooth. Beverly called out, "Hello? Anyone there?"

When no one answered she gingerly stepped toward the cave's opening. On the edge of the mouth lay a flashlight. She picked it up and noticed the glass had shattered. She flipped the on switch. To her surprise it turned on. She aimed the light into the dark cave and gasped. On the floor was a crumpled body of a man. Beverly jumped down and touched the man. It wasn't anyone she recognized. The man emitted a groan. Beverly was relieved that he was alive. Beverly examined him quickly. All she could see was that there was a knot on the back of his head. Her first thought was that Gnomo had knocked him out but quickly dismissed that idea. Gnomo was too short to reach the man's head. Judging by the angle of the knot the man was ambushed by someone who was about the same height.

Beverly got up and climbed through the opening. She realized there must have been a fight. She noticed for the first time tracks in the dirt. She began following it. As she walked further and further away from the cave it occurred to her that perhaps it is not the best idea to be alone doing this. Before she could figure out whether she should go back for help she came to the end of the tracks… literally. She peered over a deep gorge. It was so deep that the sunlight couldn't reach the depths. Beverly peered down trying to see if she could make out anything when she she caught a faint whiff of something in the air. Then she felt a push from behind. Beverly screamed as she plunged down the cliff.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I'm not sure who's still reading this. I always finish my stories with or without comments but it helps me with the direction of the story. I was a little hesitant to write the scene with Caesar and Six. When I thought it up, I thought it was hysterical. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if it's a little too OOC. Oh well, let me know what you think.**

**I do not own the show. **

Beverly felt the sensation of nothingness in front of her as she started falling over the edge. The feeling of free fall was not unpleasant but as one comedian put it... "It's not the fall that gets you it's the landings."

Then as luck would have it one of her flailing arms caught an edge of something and she managed to hang onto it. She stopped screaming. Adjusting her eyes to the darkness she looked to see what was around her. Looking up she realized that she had not fallen that far down. If her luck held she may be able to climb out. Beverly knew she was not an expert climber by any means but she knew a little about rock climbing. She pulled herself onto the ledge. It was larger than she thought. As she dragged her dangling legs up, her hand brushed against something soft. Startled she pulled back immediately, almost losing her balance. She quickly righted herself before she adjusted her position. She crawled over thinking perhaps it was just moss or an animal. But on closer inspection she realized it wasn't fur but fabric. It looked like a rolled up carpet. She gave it a little push and the bundle turned over. To her horror it was Gnomo and he was dead.

0o0

Caesar scrolled through his cell phone. He found the number he wanted and pressed the call button.

"Six here." He picked up after the third ring. Darn, too late to turn back now.

"Hello, Six." Caesar began hesitantly.

"Caesar? Is anything wrong?" He could hear a slight infliction in his usual monotone voice.

"No, everyone's fine." Caesar wondered if he could make something up and then hang up. But he screwed up his courage and asked, "Actually, I was wondering if you have time to answer a question for me."

"I'm busy right now." Six was back to his usual flat tone.

"It'll just take a minute." At least he hoped it would only take a minute. "How do you know if you like, like a girl and what should you do about it?"

There was a pause, "That's two questions. Wouldn't Holiday be better at this type of…thing?"

"I can't really talk to her about that. But if you can't answer them…" Caesar tried a tactful retreat.

"I think only you can answer the first question. Do you like spending time with her? Do you admire and respect her? Then you need to find out if the _girl_ feels the same about you. Then you need to talk and figure out if you want the same things." Six finished.

"Huh, that makes sense. I appreciate the talk. I guess I know why Rex looks up to you now." Caesar hung up.

Six looked at the phone. Calan walked in with some files.

"Calan, has hell frozen over?" Six asked abruptly.

Startled Calan looked at Six wondering where the question had come from. "Not that I know of."

"Have boars learn to navigate aerially?" Six continued.

"Not unless they've gone EVO." Calan looked at Six with concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

Six hung up the phone and looked under his desk. "Pants are still on, so I'm awake. There're no cameras around." Six muttered to himself. He got up and started walking out the office.

"Wait, what do you want me to do with the files?" Calan asked.

"Leave them on my desk. I want to make sure I haven't been sucked into an alternate reality." The door slid closed behind him.

Calan looked at the closed door and shook his head. Six definitely needed a vacation.

0o0

Detective Ricardo came back with Rex and Circe. He wanted to talk to Beverly after hearing about the ladies' little excursion.

"Where's Bev?" Circe asked.

"I don't know. I thought she'd be back by now." Caesar replied.

"I haven't seen her since this afternoon." Rex looked at his brother who avoided his gaze.

"We should probably go look for her. It's getting dark and she doesn't know her way around." Ricardo noted.

"Ok, but where do we even start?" Rex asked.

"I think I know where." Circe replied.

Beverly looked sadly at the body. It was so cold down in the ravine that there was actual frost on the body. He must have killed by his cave and the body dumped here. Tears came unbidden to her eyes. Why must she be the one to discover two bodies? She suppressed a sob. She knew she had to get out of here or she'd freeze. She blinked away the tears and tried to climb out. It was then she realized there was no way she could climb out without assistance. The side of the gorge, although it was rough, had no crevices to hold on to. Great, she was stuck with a dead body. She slid down onto the ground and buried her face in her knees. She tried not to cry but the feelings of helplessness and failure began to set in. She had tried to find the killer of Señora Martinez. Instead she now had an _accident _happen to one of the tenants and another murder on her hands with suspects up the wahzoo. Some detective she was turning out to be.

She looked up. The air was colder down here, where the sunlight couldn't reach. She shivered. Looking over at the body she crawled over. Overcoming her revulsion she took the poncho off Gnomo and wrapped it around herself.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to find the killer and that you paid the price for that. I'm so sorry." Now Beverly did cry. Between her sobs she managed to say, "Thanks for your poncho."

When Beverly finished crying, she felt better. She berated herself for her stupidity. She should have told someone where she was going. They have no idea where she is. Her fight with Caesar also seemed stupid now. He was right. She should have let the police handle it.

She wiped her eyes and sunk deeper into the poncho.

There was a faint, familiar odor that she tried not to think about. It was sickeningly sweet.

"Beverly!"

She heard her name. She straightened up. Alert, she scrambled onto her feet. "I'm here! Down here!"

"I hear something. Over here!" Beverly looked up as shadows appeared above her.

Beverly waved her hands excitedly. One of the figures sprouted wings and flew down.

"Hey," Rex smiled at her.

"Hey, " She'd never been so glad to see him. She grabbed his neck and his arm went around her waist.

Rex flew them back up to the top. Caesar walked to Beverly.

"Are you okay?" He asked hesitantly.

Beverly didn't answer. She just wrapped her arm around him and buried her face in his chest. Caesar didn't hesitate to hold her tight against him. He realized that even with the poncho she was shivering. He gently let go of her and took off his jacket. He draped it around her shoulder and embraced her again.

"You're a very lucky young lady. Your friend suggested that we look for you here. When we found Jorge knocked out, we searched for you." Ricardo was explaining but Beverly wasn't really listening. She was taking in the warmth from Caesar's jacket and body.

"Bev, where did you get the poncho?" Circe asked quietly. She recognized the colorful garment.

Beverly shut her eyes tighter. A lump grew in her throat. She freed one hand and pointed down the ravine.

Ricardo scowled. This was starting to get out of hand.

0o0

Ricardo called his office and they sent some men to help pull the body up. Doctor Garcia was there as well. Beverly had insisted that they stay. As the body was pulled up in a makeshift stretcher, she looked sadly at it. Tears pricked her eyes again but she blinked them away. A blanket covered his body but one of his hands had fallen to the side. She glanced at his hand. It was streaked with red. With a pang of regret she thought of all the paintings he will never make now. The body was placed in a black bag and loaded onto the back of the station wagon. Dr. Garcia wordlessly gave Detective Ricardo a nod before getting into the car and driving back to his office. Ricardo stopped to talk to the men before they too departed. Ricardo turned to look at the foursome.

"It is clear that the murderer of Señora Martinez is still at large and is willing to kill to keep their secrets. Now will you please leave the investigating to me?" He asked wearily.

"No way!" Rex exclaimed. "He almost killed Beverly. We're not going to just sit here and let him get away with it."

"No, Rex. It's all right. I'm done playing detective." Beverly stopped Rex. Rex turned and looked at her in surprise.

"But Bev…" He began.

"No, Rex. It's over. We… I haven't helped and I might have gotten someone killed." Beverly said firmly. "I'm done."

Circe looked disappointedly at Beverly but said nothing. It was her call.

Ricardo and Caesar was the only one who looked relieved.

"Good decision." Ricardo approved. "Now I want you to go back and let me handle the rest." After a pause Ricardo looked at Beverly, "But senorita, you have helped me quite a bit but this is getting dangerous. Please let me do the rest."

"I already said I would." Beverly was now starting to get agitated.

Ricardo sensing her annoyance let the matter drop. He silently dismissed them as he turned to check out the crime scene.

"Let's go home." Beverly muttered eyes on the ground. The others accompanied her wordlessly back home.

0o0

The walk back was tense until Rex broke it with a suggestion that they finally watch the home movies of him and his family.

Beverly glad for the distraction agreed.

When they got back to the ranch, Rex ran to his room to get the tapes. He was excited.

"I've been dying to show you this." He popped the tape into the VCR.

Everyone settled onto the couch. The tape started running. On the screen Rafael appeared; he was pushing Rex on a bike. Rex wobbled around before straightening.

"I'm doing it papi! I'm doing it!" Then Rex rode into a bush.

The camera bounced as Violeta cried out, "Is he all right?"

The camera then swung to look at a young Caesar who was fiddling with an engine of a tractor.

"Caesar come and help."

"Coming mami."

Caesar ran over and picked up the bike.

Checking it over, he gave the camera a thumbs up. "The bike's fine."

Rex was left on the floor.

"Caesar! " Violeta yelled exasperated.

"What?" Caesar asked confused.

Rafael ran over and picked Rex out of the bush. He brushed the debris from his hair.

There was static and then the next scene.

"Mami, look!" Caesar yelled. The camera passed through the hallway and a mirror where Violeta was seen briefly holding the camera. Finally, the camera came to a stop in front of a bedroom.

Rex was perched on top of the dresser putting on Violeta's lipstick. He already had eye shadow and blush on. On his feet, he had on her stilettos.

"Oh my gosh!" Violeta gasped trying not to laugh. "What did you do Rex?"

"Mami I'm pretty."

Rex then jumped off the dresser and landed on the plush ottoman he had used to reach the dresser. One of the heels embedded itself into the cushion. Now imbalanced Rex fell flat on his back. Caesar looked over at Rex. He was red faced. Obviously, he did not realize that this was on the tape.

Circe laughed hysterically.

"You are pretty Rex. But I didn't know you were an autumn." Circe gasped still laughing.

"Hey, not everyone can pull off autumn and in heels." Rex retorted. Circe continued to rib him and Rex answered back. Beverly and Caesar just watched.

Caesar gauged whether this was a good time to talk to Beverly but noticed that although she was smiling it didn't reach her eyes.

The rest of the night passed pleasantly. They made sandwiches for dinner with whatever was in the fridge. They watched more movies before getting ready for bed.

As Beverly was walking into her room, Caesar grabbed her arm.

"Beverly, you're not happy are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Beverly mumbled averting her eyes.

"I know you." He hoped that was true. "You want to solve this not out of morbid curiosity but because you really want to help."

Beverly kept her eyes on the ground.

Caesar couldn't believe he was about to say the next part. "Beverly, if you need to do this, I'll help you in whatever way I can."

Beverly's head snapped up and she gawked at him. When she realized he was serious, the troubled look faded from her eyes. She finally smiled that beautiful smile he had missed all night. She hugged him. "Thank you. You don't know what that means to me but I'm serious when I said I'm done." She let go and smiled into his face. His throat tightened and he tried to smile back hoping it didn't look like a grimace. Beverly let go and walked to her room. She smiled at him one more time before closing the door. For some reason Caesar wanted to jump and click his heels. But he settled for a dignified walk back to his room with a huge grin plastered to his face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for the reviews. I'm starting to feel a little unsure of myself with this story. Hope you are still enjoying it.**

**I do not own the show.**

The next morning everything seemed brighter to Beverly. She was in a jovial mood. That put everyone else in a good mood too. It didn't last long, however. After breakfast Detective Ricardo paid them a visit.

"Well, looks like the case is solved. Chiquito was arrested for the murder of Señora Martinez last night." He announced.

"What?" Beverly asked incredulously. "But he said he didn't do it."

Ricardo gave her a condescending look. "That's why you should leave the detective work to the experts."

Beverly bristled slightly. She tried to let it go. This was good news but somehow it didn't sit right with her.

"Doctor Garcia lifted some bull hair from the body. We confronted him with it and he confessed." Ricardo explained.

"That's convenient." Beverly mumbled. She had another question she wanted to ask.

"What about Gnomo?" Circe asked for Beverly.

"We believe Chiquito is involved. It's just a matter of time before he confesses. I wanted to let you know everything has worked out. Now please enjoy the rest of your vacation." With that the detective left.

"Darn, I forgot to ask him about Sebastian's accident." Beverly slapped her forehead.

"What does it matter? To him the case is closed." Circe grumbled.

Rex looked at her curiously. "You think there's more."

"I don't know." Circe admitted. "But like Beverly said… too convenient."

"Sometimes the simplest explanations are the correct ones." Caesar said sagely.

"I didn't say simple, I said convenient." Circe snapped.

"Well, there's nothing we can do anymore. Why don't we just do as the detective suggested and enjoy the rest of our time here?" Caesar said ignoring Circe.

"As long as it's my definition of enjoy and not yours." Rex quipped. "How about we go into town? I promised to get souvenirs for Noah and Bobo."

Circe perked up. "Ohh, shopping! That definitely sounds enjoyable."

Beverly had to agree. "Let's go."

0o0

They did spend an enjoyable day exploring the quaint stores in town. Beverly and Circe gave the boys a good workout carrying bags of clothes and cute knick-knacks they picked up from various shops.

Rex found a banana shaped paper weight for Bobo. For Noah he picked up a sombrero. Then he saw a mail opener in a shape of a katana. He knew he had to get it for Six. Rex wasn't sure if Six got real mail anymore but it was sharp and pointy so he had to get it for his mentor.

After a lunch at the empanada place (they all agreed it was very good), they headed home. During siesta time they played a couple of board games. When the heat of the day passed, Rex and Circe decided to take a ride on his bike around the ranch. Caesar wanted to go back to the research pod to check on a few things back home. Beverly decided to read some of the books she bought. So she settled herself in the most comfortable part of the couch and started her book. She didn't get far when she Maria walked in.

Beverly looked up and realized with a pang of guilt that she hadn't given one thought to Manuel, Gnomo's brother. He must be distraught. Beverly closed her book.

"Maria? How's your husband doing?" Beverly asked solemnly.

Maria jumped not having noticed the girl on the couch before. She rubbed her hand over her eyes as she answered, "He… is very upset that his brother is gone. He hasn't left his room all day."

Beverly nodded, "I'm very sorry for your loss."

Maria returned the nod with one of her own albeit tiredly, "I wish he had told me sooner that Gnomo was his brother. Maybe we could have…" She trailed off unable or unwilling to continue talking with a stranger about private matters.

Beverly understood. "If there's anything I can do… I want to help. Maybe I can do some of the chores for you?"

"That's very kind but no. We will work things out. At least there has been an arrest. I always knew those no good brothers would still cause trouble." Maria said bitterly.

"Do you think Chiquito was involved?" Beverly asked now curious.

"Chiquito doesn't have a brain in his head. Durango pulls the strings. If he tells Chiquito to jump, he asks how high." Maria shook her head. "The real criminal will never face justice."

"Señora Martinez was your friend?" Beverly treaded carefully hoping to take advantage of Maria's talkative mood.

"She and her husband was everyone's friend. They were generous with their money and time. Did you know they offered to pay my children's tuition to school?"

"Really, where did they get that kind of money?" Beverly hadn't meant to say that out loud but Maria did not seem to take offense.

"Rumor has it that they found buried treasure on their property or some such silly nonsense. They were hard workers and Señor Martinez was a banker before he went into farming." Maria scoffed.

"I see." Beverly bit her lip. "Why do you think Señor Martinez stopped looking for his wife?"

Maria shrugged. "I don't know. But again people talk. It was everything from Durango intimidating him to him finding out his wife ran off with someone."

"Really?" The last part was news to Beverly. "That doesn't seem like something she would do."

Again Maria shrugged. "Who knows about other's private lives? Señor and Señora Martinez did fight a lot. Their arguments were legendary. But some people like to argue."

Beverly silently contemplated this. She wished now that she had learned more from the tenants about the past. Finally, before the moment was lost she asked one more question, "How is Sebastian doing?"

Maria's face clouded over. "He's in a coma. Sofia is with him in the hospital. She is very upset."

"I can imagine." Beverly said sympathetically.

"No, you don't understand. Sofia and this little boy grew up together and she was in love with him but he didn't return her affections. She pined for him for so long." Maria lowered her voice. "In despair she jumped off a bridge."

Beverly gasped. "What happened?"

"Well, that's where Sebastian came in. He saw her and pulled her out. He then took care of her until she was better. They fell in love and married."

"That's so sweet." Beverly sighed.

"Yes, "Maria agreed. "Then when Durango and Chiquito tried to take over our lands they ended up destroying our homes. We were lucky Señor Rex drove them away."

"What about Juanita and Jose? What's their story?" Beverly asked.

"They mostly keep to themselves." Maria hedged.

"I think Muchado said they had children away at school?"

"Si," Maria didn't say much. Beverly thought that was curious so she tried one more time.

"I wonder where they got the money for that. I remember my parents scrimping and saving to send my sister to school and it still wasn't enough." Beverly didn't mention that Rebecca was so smart that universities were practically throwing money at her to attend their school.

Maria got quiet. Beverly was worried that she might have over-stepped her boundaries. She was about to apologize when Maria slowly said, "Juanita said that the children got scholarships… but I happen to know that one of the universities they attend do not give out such things." She stopped and seemed to struggle about telling the next part. Beverly held her breath. "Juanita likes the finer things in life… things like Manolo Blahnik."

"Wow, even I can't afford those shoes." Beverly exclaimed.

"I know and she has at least a dozen. I've seen them myself." Maria nodded.

"What about Jose?" Beverly asked.

"He's simpler but he doesn't say anything about Juanita's extravagant tastes."

Before Beverly could say anything else, they heard voices from outside. Rex and Circe were coming back from their ride.

Maria quickly got up and excused herself.

"Thanks for the chat." Beverly called after her. Maria gave her a nervous smile before disappearing into the next room. Beverly had a lot to think about.

0o0

Dinner was uneventful. They spent time talking about the day. Circe and Rex as usual bantered back and forth. Caesar was quiet but that was to be expected. Beverly didn't feel much like talking either. She was thinking about what Sofia had gone through. A disturbing thought ran through her mind. But she wasn't sure how to ask without prying.

After dinner they watched more home videos of Rex.

In one movie Rex was bouncing a soccer ball up and down. He kicked it to Caesar who stopped it with his foot. He looked professional until he tried to kick it. He missed and fell on his back. Rex laughed.

"Hey, I'm not the only one bad at sports."

"Well, I was busy with my studies most of the time. I didn't have time for frivolous games."

"Bro, eye hand coordination is not frivolous." Rex smirked.

Laughter from the TV brought their attention back. Beverly almost stopped breathing. The camera was aimed at a girl about Caesar's age. She walked over to Caesar and helped him up. She then gave him a big hug burying her face into his chest. Caesar looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"Hey, that looks like Sofia." Rex pointed out.

Caesar had paled slightly. "I had forgotten about the girl who use to hang around the ranch."

"Serious, bro? I thought I was the one with amnesia." Rex looked incredulously at his brother.

"It was almost a lifetime ago." Caesar defended himself.

"Did Sofia say anything to you?" Beverly asked softly.

"Uh, well, she did ask if I remember her." Caesar admitted sheepishly.

"And?" Circe prompted.

"And I told her no…" Caesar looked embarrassed. Out of his eye he saw Beverly had turned away. He wasn't sure why his heart sank.

They continued watching the videos but Sofia never reappeared again much to Caesar's relief. Beverly excused herself to go outside. After a few minutes Caesar went after her.

Rex and Circe looked at each other.

0o0

Beverly sat on the porch step looking at the stars. They looked strangely bright away from the lights of the city. She sighed.

"Are you all right?" She heard Caesar's voice behind her. She didn't answer at first. Caesar shuffled his leg nervously. He was about to ask again thinking she hadn't heard him the first time when she replied, "Did you know she liked you?"

Caesar was not expecting the question. "No," Then he added, "Not until recently."

Beverly didn't turn around but just wordlessly nodded. A few more seconds passed before she spoke again, "What if I told you she tried to hurt herself because you didn't like her?"

Caesar sat down next to her, "I'd say that I'm sorry to hear that but I can't be responsible for her actions, can I?"

Beverly looked at him curiously. "I suppose not." They both sat in awkward silence.

"Well, it's getting late and I'm tired." Beverly got up and walked back inside.

Caesar balled up his fists, "Beverly?" He turned to look at her.

"Yes?" Beverly turned around slightly.

Caesar looked like he wanted to say something but instead stopped and said, "Good night."

"Good night." Beverly said slightly disappointed. She walked in and closed the door behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for staying with me on this. I have to say this is one of the hardest stories to finish. I hope it was good and I kept you guessing but it wasn't so trite that it was a stretch. Anyway, thank you all who read and reviewed and anyone who reads this in the future. If you feel so inclined please leave a comment. The traffic stats have been confusing me. According to them a lot of people start reading but never get to all the chapters or are skipping the middle ones. So even a simple one like I read the whole thing or I read half way then got bored would help me in the future. My husband likes to point out the fact that because I am invested in the story, it clouds my judgement of it.**

**I do not own any of the characters.**

Sleep was deceptive. At first her exhaustion lulled her to slumber right away but within a few hours she was up and unable to go back to sleep. The sound of rain hitting the rooftop kept her up. She listened to her roommate's rhythmic breathing for a bit and wished she could sleep as deeply and carefree as Circe. But since Beverly couldn't sleep, she decided to go to the kitchen for a snack. As she walked through the living room she had a feeling of déjà vu. She glanced at the window hoping to see, but knowing there wouldn't be, a face peering back at her. Instead she was greeted by the rain hitting the pane.

She sighed as she continued walking. By chance the photos on the wall caught her attention. She smiled as she spotted the one with Rex and the bull. She walked closer to examine the pictures. As her eyes skimmed through them she noticed that there was a small painting among them that wasn't there before. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the brush strokes. It was by Gnomo. It was an abstract landscape. She touched it. It looked like an amalgamate of several landscapes interposed on top of each other. She narrowed her eyes. It looked like the Salazar's ranch but there were mountains behind it. That wasn't right. She thought back. She was sure she's seen this before. She stared at the picture some more. As her eyes scanned the picture meticulously she gasped. Standing at the edge of the painting were two minotaur-like figures. They were holding a white figure. Her eyes roamed the rest of the painting. Soon she made out another scene. Superimposed on the mountain was a painting of one figure striking down the white figure with something sharp. She frowned. The figure holding a sharp object definitely did not look like a bull. Then in the Salazar's ranch it looked like someone was digging a hole. A white bundle laid near the digger. All the figures was subtle and seemed to blend into the surroundings so it was hard to make out but it was there. What was Gnomo trying to tell her?

Beverly walked to the kitchen in a trance-like state. When she got there, however, the last thing she wanted to do was to eat. Her mind was reeling. The person who ransacked Gnomo's cave somehow missed this painting. Gnomo must have gotten it into the house somehow. He hung the painting in the ranch for safe-keeping and in a place where she would be sure to find it. Was he telling her that one of the brothers had killed her? Would Durango really get his hands dirty? Chiquito was so convincing when he denied killing her. Could he really be such a good actor? What did Sebastian's accident have to do with all this? And poor Manuel who now's lost his brother. How was all this connected or was Circe right? None of them were connected.

She had stood so long in front of the open refrigerator that she actually started shivering. She quickly shut the door. She wished she had someone to talk to clarify some things.

"Is everything ok?"

Beverly jumped at the voice and spun around to see Juanita standing behind her. She was meticulously dressed and made-up. Beverly ran her fingers through her bed head hair self-consciously.

"I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep." Beverly said.

"Anything I can help you with?" She asked politely.

"What do you know about Señora Martinez?" Beverly blurted it out without thinking. Then she wanted to kick herself when Juanita's eyes widened.

"She and her husband helped the community very much." Juanita said slowly.

"Did she have any enemies?"

"Well, Durango and Chiquito certainly didn't like them."

"Yes, but did she personally have any enemies?"

Juanita gave her an odd look. "Why would you ask that?"

"I just want to make sure that they have the right person."

"What makes you think Chiquito isn't the one who did it. He did confess."

"Maybe he confessed to protect someone."

"You mean like his brother?"

"I don't know. Does she have any enemies besides the brothers?"

"No, she is much beloved. She has helped us many times when we were unable to pay the bills or buy the food we needed."

"Really? Where did their money come from? Buried treasure? "Beverly asked remembering her earlier conversation with Maria.

"You have been listening to gossip,eh?" She eyed Beverly disapprovingly.

"Well, you know, you hear things." Beverly tried to look chastised.

"Señora Martinez's maiden name was Guartem." Juanita said.

Beverly looked confused.

"I guess you never heard of the Spanish pirate Juan Guartem?"

"That's her relative?"

"It's her great, great, great, grand-uncle. He was never caught and his ill-gotten gain was never recovered. That's how the rumor started." Juanita said disdainfully. "Señor Martinez made his fortune banking before he decided to give up the stressful life and become a farmer."

"And they spent their days helping their neighbors? They sound too good to be true." Beverly stated.

Juanita shrugged. "Everyone has something to hide but they were good people."

"Where's Señor Martinez now?" Beverly asked.

"After his wife disappeared, he just left. No one knows where he went." Juanita said.

"So there's no way I could talk to him?" Beverly asked.

"Why do you want to talk to him?" Juanita asked sharply.

Her tone surprised Beverly. "Well, I'd like to see what he thought about all this. And don't you think he would want to know that they caught his wife's killer."

Juanita seemed to calm down at the last part. "Well, I'm sure the authorities have a way of contacting him. I wouldn't worry about this. You should enjoy the rest of your time here."

Beverly thought those words sounded awfully similar to what Detective Ricardo had said.

"One last thing, how did you find Sebastian in the grain tank?"

Juanita's eyes clouded over, "I told you I went to call him from breakfast and heard sounds from the bottom of the tank."

"So you climbed up to see what it was and found him?"

"Yes, blood everywhere." She shuddered. "I screamed and Jose and Manuel ran in. I climbed down and ran to get help."

"Did Jose or Manuel go look?"

"No, I told them that Sebastian was inside and that I was going for help." She looked at Beverly. "Why do you want to know?"

"I guess I'm just trying to sort through everything that's happened. Well, thanks for talking with me."

"You're welcome. Stop worrying over this and go get some rest."

Beverly nodded and headed back to her room, except it wasn't to rest. Something was bothering her. She just couldn't put everything together. While she was talking with Juanita she noticed the rain had stopped. She decided to take a late night excursion.

0o0

When they were on their trip in town yesterday, Rex had pointed out the jail house. Beverly was glad he did. She nudged the burro to go faster although the mud created by the rain on the trail slowed them down. She would have preferred a horse but the burro was already outside under a canopy so she wouldn't have to go into the barn. When she reached the prison, she stood underneath the barred window.

"Chiquito! Chiquito!" She whispered as loudly as she dared. She waited. When there was no answer she got ready to call again but luckily she saw a shadow appear in front of the window.

"Who's there?" He sounded frightened.

"It's a friend. I don't think you're the killer. Would you mind telling me why you confessed?" Beverly decided to get straight to the point.

"It's you from before! Is that EVO girl with you? Go away!" The shadow shuddered but it didn't move away from the window. "How do you know I'm innocent? Most people would love for me to be strung up."

"I'm not most people and I don't believe you did it. Your loyalty to your brother is admirable but perhaps misplaced. Don't take the fall for him." Beverly hissed.

"How do you know I didn't do it? Maybe, maybe I found her and strangled her." He said pitifully.

Beverly paused. "She wasn't strangled." She said almost to herself. Then louder to Chiquito she asked. "What did you say in the confession?"

"I said I killed her and buried her." He mumbled.

"Did you tell them how you killed her?" Beverly persisted.

"I...I... I don't remember. Leave me alone." He whimpered.

"Chiquito, you didn't do it. Do you think your brother would have done it?"

Chiquito didn't answer for a minute. Finally he said, "He might to protect me."

Beverly almost laughed. From what Rex had told her about the brothers Durango wouldn't lift a finger to help Chiquito. But pieces were starting to fall into place but it disturbed her more than it cheered her. "Chiquito, why were you worried about Gnomo being back. Did you hurt him?"

"Gnomo? Durango thinks he saw us take Señora Martinez. But like I said she escaped and I don't know what happened to her."

"Don't say anymore. I think I know who the killer is now. I just don't know the why."

The shadow shifted suddenly. "What did you say?"

"Hang tight, Chiquito. I'll take care of everything." With that Beverly got back on the burro and rode back to the Salazar's ranch.

How could she have been so blind it was right there the whole time? Everyone including her had assumed the injury was caused by a bull horn but that was just a supposition. What if it wasn't a horn? What if it was something just as sharp and deadly? What if it was a _high heel_? The video of Rex jumping into the ottoman with heels showed that with enough force a heel could be driven into anything. With enough force a nice sharp heel can be driven into a skull. Beverly felt sick. The red on Gnomo's hands which she mistook for paint wasn't paint but rouge or perhaps lipstick. The one who killed Señora Martinez was a woman. The first light of the day was slipping through the valley and peaking through the cracks of the canyon Beverly was riding through. Suddenly something knocked Beverly off the burro. She felt hands around her throat. She gripped the digits that were cutting off her air supply. She looked up at a hooded figure. With one hand she knocked back her hood. Just as she suspected. Juanita!

0o0

Circe knocked on Rex's door. When she got no answer she knocked harder.

"What?" A grumpy voice asked. She heard footsteps and the door being unlocked. When Rex swung open the door, he blinked stupidly at her. "Circe? Whaddaya want?" His speech was slurred from yawning.

"Beverly's not in our room." Circe said worriedly.

"So, maybe she went for a walk."

"Rex, it's 4 in the morning!" Circe snapped. "The sun's not up yet. Go get dress and help me look for her."

"But..." Rex's protest trailed off when he caught Circe's glare. What really stopped him was the look of concern in her eyes. "Okay give me 5 minutes. Why don't you get Caesar, too?" Rex grumbled as he shut the door, might as well make his brother useful.

Five minutes later, Rex walked out. Caesar was already there. Rex blinked, "What? You sleep with your clothes on?"

Caesar ignored him. "Do you think she went back to the cave?"

"No, I don't think so. I need to put a tracker on that girl!" Circe muttered.

Rex rubbed his eyes. "One of the burros is missing."

"How do you know?" Caesar asked startled.

Circe looked, "You're right, Rex. There was one out here last night."

"You remember how many burros were here?" Caesar looked at both of them.

"Well, we commented about it remember? We were saying how odd it was that one was just standing under the canopy like it was ready to go..." Rex trailed off. "You think she took the burro?"

"Look for its trail." Circe said scanning the muddy ground.

"I think this is it." Rex said pointing to some tracks. He formed his rex ride. "Let's go!" Everyone piled on and Rex sped off.

0o0

Beverly's vision started to grow dark. She can't die. Not like this. Not when she was so close to the solution. And not when things are like they are with Caesar. With whatever strength she had left she raised her leg and kicked Juanita off. She rolled over and gasped for breath before quickly getting up to run. She wasn't sure if she could outrun her but she had a better chance than fighting. She made a note that if she got out of this she would ask Rebecca to show her some fighting moves. She'd ask Six except she wasn't sure how she felt about her sister's boyfriend. All this ran through her mind as she ran senselessly through the muddy canyon.

She slipped and fell. Juanita stood over her breathing heavily. She no longer looked neat and proper and had a wild look in her eye.

"Why did you have to ruin everything? Everything was going so well." She was babbling. "Why couldn't you just let everyone believe that Chiquito did it? No one cares about them they deserve whatever they got."

Beverly decided that the best thing to do was to keep her talking until she could think of something. Again she cursed herself for not telling someone where she was going or at least leaving a note. She was such a slow learner.

"Why did you kill Gnomo? What did he ever do to you?" Beverly asked.

"I should have killed him sooner... the meddlesome insect. He saw me finishing off Señora Martinez only he didn't know it was me. He never saw my face. He saw me bury her too. I thought I was safe. He couldn't tell anyone until I notice his paintings. Those paintings! Then he dug up the body and led you to it. He had to go!"

She wasn't very coherent but Beverly was starting to understand everything.

"Why'd you kill Señora Martinez?" Beverly asked.

"It's not fair, she had all the luck in life. She and her husband always giving the money away when we could have used it. Jose didn't understand. He never understood. We needed a better life. We deserve a better life."

"You killed her because you were jealous of her?" Beverly asked incredulously.

Juanita didn't answer. She pulled out a knife. "I didn't have this the night I found her wandering the canyons but my heels did the trick. You're lucky your death would be much faster."

Beverly gulped and held up her hands. Just as the knife was coming down a sonic blast knocked it out of her hand. A body came flying knocking Juanita down. Beverly looked up and saw Circe's face... her relieved but angry face. "Are you ok?" She asked.

Beverly nodded with relief.

"Good." Circe replied before smacking her in the shoulder. "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Don't worry. I promise to tell you where I'm going from now on." Beverly said biting back tears.

She looked over at Caesar who was sitting on the prisoner with her arms behind her and her face in the mid.

"Get off me!" She shrieked.

Caesar pulled her up with her arms still restrained behind her.

"Now you'll have to answer for your crimes." Rex said sounding like he was reciting a line from an old movie.

Juanita without warning kicked backwards into Caesar. Startled Caesar let go and she bolted.

"Hey, she's getting away!" Rex and Caesar chased after her. She ran through the canyons. The brothers gave chase. Juanita, however, was quick and knew the canyon well.

"Where did she go?" Rex asked Caesar. Caesar looked around.

"Up there!" He yelled pointing to the ledge above them. Juanita was making her way to the other side. Suddenly, she slipped and lost her balance.

"No!" Rex yelled as they watched her disappear over the other side of the ledge. When they reached the cliff it was too late. Her body laid sprawled below.

o0o

Detective Ricardo looked tiredly at the foursome. "This is getting to be a habit." He grumbled.

Rex had called Ricardo and Muchado to come. They had to make arrangements for the body. After hearing the whole story as well as the Juanita's rambly confession from Beverly they released Chiquito. Everyone was together in the living room. Jose was in shock. Manuel and Maria held each other. Sofia was still in the hospital with Sebastian who had awaken from his coma.

Jose shook his head. "I can't believe it was Juanita the whole time. She told me Señora Martinez gave her all those shoes and clothes. How could I have been so blind?"

Beverly didn't answer. She didn't want to tell Jose that Juanita was most likely trying to finish him off in the grain tank as well. Sebastian, unfortunately, stumbled into the trap instead.

"How did you know it was Juanita?" Rex asked Beverly.

Beverly sighed, "When she said she climbed up the grain tank I knew she was lying. If she had climbed it she would have slipped on the grease. She also didn't warn anyone about the grease. Then I realize that the injury that we assumed was made by a bull's horn could also be made by a high heel especially the high heels that Juanita likes."

Rex shuddered. "I'll never look at shoes the same way again."

"Actually, your home movies is what started me thinking, Rex." Beverly smirked. Rex turned red. Beverly continued. "Gnomo witnessed Durango and Chiquito take Señora Martinez. He probably followed them to try to help but she escaped by herself. He arrived to see Juanita kill Señora Martinez. But her face was hidden so he didn't know who it was. He was unable to communicate to people what happened except through his paintings. I guess when we arrived he tried one last time to try to get justice for Señora Martinez."

"I can't believe that Juanita could do all this." Maria said sadly.

Beverly cleared her throat."Actually, she didn't."

Everyone looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" Jose asked.

Beverly hated this part. "I mean Juanita had an accomplice. Someone who egged her on and capitalized on her jealousy of Señora Martinez. Juanita couldn't have planned all this by herself. Isn't that right Detective Ricardo?"

There was a collective gasp. Detective Ricardo looked shock for a moment before he started laughing. "You've been reading too many cheap detective novels."

"I first became suspicious during Sebastian's accident. Ricardo didn't climb the grain tank. You knew it was greased didn't you?"

"I thought to let the doctor go first to help the victim." Ricardo answered reasonably.

"Perhaps. But it makes sense you knew about the original case. You tried awfully hard to try to convince us it was Chiquito or Durango. You let us tag along and even threw us hints. Why would you do that? It's unprofessional." Beverly said cooly.

"I told you señorita that it was so you wouldn't hinder me." He started to get agitated. "I do not need to sit here and listen to these accusations."

"You also got rid of Señor Martinez, didn't you?" Beverly accused him.

Ricardo narrowed his eyes. "These are serious accusations. Do you have any proof?"

"I don't." Beverly admitted.

"There you see." Ricardo said triumphantly.

"I don't but I think Judge Muchado might." Beverly interrupted him.

Muchado nodded, " I had some friends check. Ricardo, you need to explain where you got such large sums of money as well as all the communications to and from Juanita. There is also a little matter of finding Señor Martinez's possessions among your things. "

Ricardo jumped up and grabbed Beverly. He aimed a gun to her head. "Nobody move or there will be another body."

Everyone jumped up but didn't make a move toward Ricardo. He with Beverly in tow made his way toward the door.

"Ricardo, give up and things will go easier for you." Muchado said tiredly.

"Please, do not patronize me. Trying to live on the pittance I get from this thankless job." Ricardo growled. "I was ready to retire but then you," He yanked Beverly's arm so that she winced in pain. Caesar's eyes narrowed and his hands balled into fists. "You had to come and ruin it all. I was ready to pin it all on Gnomo but then that stupid woman had to go and kill the perfect scapegoat. It's a good thing Chiquito and Durango was still around."

Ricardo was so focused on the group that he failed to notice the figure hidden in the shadows of the hallway. When he reached the door, the figure smacked him over the head with a wooden board. Ricardo let go of Beverly but spun around and fired his gun. The figure fell but it gave Caesar an opening. He grabbed Ricardo's gun hand and wrenched the firearm away from him. He then pulled back and punched him in the face. Ricardo crumpled to the ground. Caesar winced and shook his hand, "Ahhh," He groaned.

"Is he okay?" Beverly went to the fallen figure.

"Wait, who is that?" Rex asked. Then he gasped, "Chiquito?"

Chiquito sat on the ground trembling. "He missed me."

"What are you doing here?" Muchado asked.

"I came to thank Señorita Beverly for clearing me. The back door was opened so I came in. I saw him threatening her so I grabbed the nearest thing to help." Chiquito was still shaking.

Beverly put a hand on him. "Thank you." She said simply. Chiquito blushed.

"Well, I'm glad that's over." Caesar sighed.

"Well, not quite." Muchado said.

"What now?" Rex groaned.

"Don't worry. This will be much more pleasant." Muchado said agreeably.

0o0

After the disagreeable task of charging Ricardo for aiding and abetting in murder, tampering evidence, and a whole host of other crimes, Rex and gang had a chance to finally do what they came to the farm to do in the first place... learn about Rex's past and relax.

"So do you remember anything now?" Circe asked after finishing the library of home movies.

"I kinda remember scraping my knee when learning to ride a bike." Rex looked thoughtful. "It's strange though. It's like watching someone else's life."

Caesar had to agree. "Actually Rex, this is a life time ago for me too. I feel like I'm watching someone different."

"Serious? You look the same to me." Rex rolled his eyes.

"No, " Beverly disagreed. "I think Caesar's changed."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Circe quoted.

Caesar looked at Beverly who was looking at Gnomo's painting. He gently placed his hand over hers. Surprised by his touch, she looked at him.

"I'm proud of you. You never gave up." He said quietly. He was rewarded by a small smile.

" You are an awesome detective." Circe said.

"The best." Rex agreed.

Beverly blushed. "If I'm so good why couldn't I figure it out sooner? Why did so many people have to die or get hurt?"

"You did your best." Caesar said. "You can't blame yourself."

Beverly knew they were trying to make her feel better. But she knew this will haunt her. But instead of letting them know this she pushed the painful feelings away and tried to be cheerful for their sakes. Tomorrow is the last day and she wanted Rex to leave on a high note.

That evening there was a large party in honor of Rex. Beverly sat back and watched as Rex got the accolades he deserved. She smiled. both Rex and Circe looked like they were having a good time.

"You glad to be going home?" Beverly turned to look at Caesar. He held a cup out to her. She accepted.

"I'm looking forward to being in my own bed." She laughed. "It's funny thinking Providence as home."

Caesar understood. "Back to routines." He said.

"Yeah, back to routines." Beverly said quietly. But both knew that things couldn't stay the way they were. But both didn't know how to proceed. But for now they could both sit and watch Rex be happy.

**So that ends the mystery. I'll be working now on Season 5. Stay tune.**

**God bless.**


End file.
